Trust in God with All Your Heart (Proverbs 3)

Usually, we think of trust as conditional. We trust others to the extent that we can believe and depend on them. And when, not if, they disappoint us, we lose some of this trust. Thus, the concept of total trust feels unnatural.

Trust in God with All Your Heart (Proverbs 3)

Proverbs 3

Today's Scripture Passage

A Few Thoughts to Consider

What does it mean to trust God with all our hearts?

Proverbs 3:5-7 says:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding;
in all your ways know him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Don't be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

Usually, we think of trust as conditional. We trust others to the extent that we can believe and depend on them. And when, not if, they disappoint us, we lose some of this trust. Thus, the concept of total trust feels unnatural. But at the heart of God's connection with humanity is his call for them to trust him.

Trust in God is one of the primary components of the central message of Proverbs. As Bruce Waltke writes, "Proverbs is written to teach a life of faith in Israel's covenant-keeping God (22:19)."[1] For many of us, trust doesn't come naturally, and we place our hope in things other than God. As Timothy Keller says, "You can believe in God yet still trust something else for your real significance and happiness—which is therefore your real God. We hide how we do this from ourselves, and it is only when something goes wrong with, say, your career or your family, that you realize it is much more important to you than the Lord himself."[2]

To trust God with all our heart is to rest in who our Heavenly Father has revealed himself in his Word, to seek to respond as Jesus would to every situation we face, and to actively obey the voice of Holy Spirit when he speaks.

Trust is both passive and active.