Trust in the LORD with all your heart:
- Put all your confidence in Him
- Rely solely and totally on Him.
- Cast all your worries, anxieties, fears, aspirations, expectations, everything on Him.
Trust is security. It's like the clip that a mountain climber uses to secure him to the repelling rope. And when you are secure in the LORD, then your heart will not fear. But your trust can only be in Him. The first commandment God gave when He gave Moses the ten commandments was: You shall have no other gods before Me. “Before Me” in Hebrew literally translates “Before My face”. The first several commandments, in fact, deal with idolatry and worshiping other gods. I have known people who claim to be God-fearing believers, but they also dabble in other religions and pagan practices. They believe that God is OK with this. However, this is equivalent to spiritual adultery or fornication. God wants all of your heart.
Lean not on your own understanding:
- Don't put any stock in your own ideas.
- Your wisdom is foolish to God.
- The way you perceive is biased.
- Your thoughts are not My thoughts.
When I began to meditate on this line, I could see an old man in need of cane to support him while walking. However, instead of leaning on a very solid walking stick, he was leaning on a hollow reed. There is no support in a hollow reed and if you lean upon it, it will break and cause you to fall. This is what happens when we trust our on reasoning or perception.
In all your ways acknowledge Him:
- In everything you do, your business, your hobbies, your words, recognize Him.
To know someone in the ancient Hebrew meant an intimate acquaintance. I have had the privilege of being in close proximity of renowned people, but I could not say that I Know them. However, their spouses or children, even personal assistants could say that they Know them. They know what makes that person happy or sad, what makes them angry or what foods they like or dislike. There are a number of great people's lives I have studied and while I think I would know them, I can only know them through the stories of others that knew them. But with God, we can KNOW. First, we read His Word and the eye-witness accounts of others, but if you are born-again (that means you have been born of the Spirit of God), then you spend time in the Presence of God and you will know Him.
And He shall direct/level your paths:
- Your feet won't stumble on uneven ground.
- He will guide you with His eye (Psalms 32:8)
- When your ways please the LORD, he will make even your enemies to be at peace with you. (Proverbs 16:7)
- The way of the righteous is made plain. Proverbs 15:19
The book of Proverbs teaches that the way of the transgressor is hard. I have found myself determined to do something in life that was not God's will for me. The sad part of it is, I knew it wasn't God's will for me. However, due to God giving us free-will, He allowed me to go on the path of my choosing, but it was very unpleasant. When we walk in the perfect will of God, there may be difficulties along the way, but it is a path that is plain. He goes before us and fills in the potholes.
In the
early years of the church, a work was written called the Didache. It
was more or less a manual on how to be a Christian. It's opening line
is “there are two ways, one of life and one of death” Proverbs
15:24 says, “The way of life is above to the wise, that
he may depart from hell beneath.”
Jesus taught the disciples that He is the Way of life in John 14:6. He is the Way that pleases God. Choose Him.
My prayer for each of you is that you will choose the Way of Life.
Jonathan Hollis
