Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Decision making is an important characteristic of God’s image bearers. Whereas animals respond to different situations based on their instincts, humans have the God-given ability to think through situations and make decisions based on reason and logic. Humans also have the ability to completely dismiss their God-given reason and logic and make decisions based on a myriad of other factors.
A thorough study of Scripture will indicate that we will be held responsible for the decisions we make throughout the course of our lives. Though God is clearly sovereign over the affairs of our lives, we were created in the image of God, and are called upon by God to live our lives in such a way that our decisions bring Him the glory He deserves. With such a heavy responsibility on our shoulders, it is comforting to know that God is with us to guide us as we make decisions in this world.
The book of Proverbs has the tone of a father passing on wisdom to his children. Over a dozen times in the first seven chapters of Proverbs, Solomon says, “My son,” or, “Hear, my children,” revealing the heart of Solomon within his inspired writings to caringly impart the wisdom given him by God to his children.
In Proverbs 3:5-6, Solomon reveals the necessity of trusting God completely to receive guidance from Him. The Hebrew word translated “trust” carries with it the idea of “hiding for refuge.” This beautiful analogy within the word reveals having the trust in God to wholeheartedly believe and depend upon Him and His word for wise guidance, just as one would seek protection from the elements in the comfort of a warm, well-built home.
The end of verse 5 indicates that we are to “lean not on [our] own understanding.” One of the most utilized poetic patterns found in Proverbs are contrasts. In this verse, the direct opposite to fully trusting in God is trusting our own understanding. Within the biblical worldview, the perspective is not that believers cannot think rightly or have proper understanding, but that Godly wisdom is directly opposed to our natural way of thinking (i.e., the natural desires of the heart). As we seek to grow in godly wisdom, we must continually reject our selfish, foolish way of thinking that does not consider God’s guidance or ways, as well as intentionally pursue God’s wisdom from God’s word.
Proverbs 3:6 begins with the wise counsel to “In all [our] ways acknowledge Him.” The unfortunate truth of Christianity is that far too many believers are only willing to acknowledge God and His will in some ways, but not in all ways. Much like Eve rejected the clear command of God, arrogantly believing she could determine her own standards of right and wrong, there is a large portion of the Christian population that wants God to guide them, but refuses to bow the knee to God’s wisdom in all ways, believing they have the wisdom to know better than God in certain aspects of their lives.
Those willing to fully trust God and acknowledge Him in all ways have the promise that God will “direct [their] paths.” This phrase could be literally translated, “He will make your paths straight and even.” Solomon is giving his children the picture that there is an ease and clarity to making decisions with God’s guidance when we fully submit to the word of God and His lordship in our lives. It is worth noting that speaking of “ease” in making decisions does not mean that there will be no difficulties once the decision is made, but that there is a clarity in where God is leading, even if it includes struggles and difficulties.
This passage is not difficult to understand, but can be very difficult to practically live out. It calls us to humbly recognize our complete inability to make even simple decisions without divine assistance. This passage calls us to daily put our pride to death, understanding that we have no right to seek God’s assistance in making our decisions if we are not willing to trust His wisdom more than we trust ourselves.
Sometimes as believers, we want this passage to mean something else. There are times when believers struggle to know what to do, and they want the passage to say, “God will tell you what to do in this situation.” There are many times in the Scripture when we are told what to do, but this passage calls us to grow in godly wisdom so that we are capable of making decisions in every situation. As we lean on God and trust His ways above our own preferences, God will gift us with wisdom and guide our decision making.
Consider these wise words from theologian Charles Bridges.
“In all thy ways acknowledge Him. Take one step at a time, every step under Divine warrant and direction. Ever plan for yourself in simple dependence on God. It is nothing less than self-idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the ordinary matters of the day without His counsel. He loves to be consulted. Therefore take all thy difficulties to be resolved by Him. Be in the habit of going to Him in the first place—before self-will, self-pleasing, self-wisdom, human friends, convenience, expediency. Before any of these have been consulted go to God at once. Consider no circumstances too clear to need His direction. In all thy ways, small as well as great; in all thy concerns, personal or relative, temporal or eternal, let Him be supreme.”