A straight path ...

I've been a part of Monday Night Bible study over at Calvary Church for almost three years now. This semester, we are studying Joshua. Each week, we've been asked to memorize an assigned Scripture verse. I don't memorize very well! I find that unless I think about the verse for a long time, look up and define the words, and almost dissect each sentence, I can't begin to memorize it. I need to make it personal first.

Our first verse, however, was VERY familiar. I had memorized it as a child! But … had I ever really taken it apart … looked at it carefully … tried to figure out it's meaning … meditated on it? 

 PROVERBS 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD

with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding.

In all your ways

acknowledge Him,

and He will make your paths

S-T-R-A-I-G-H-T.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart." What does the word "trust" mean? It literally means: "To lean on, be confident in." Webster defines it as "Assured reliance on the character, strength, or truth of someone or some thing; confident hope." So, who am I to have confident hope in? Who can I rely on? Myself? Other people? Friends? Family? Politics? Government? None of these are mentioned!

I am to lean confidently on the LORD (all caps). Not "a" LORD (one of many, nondescript, nonspecific), but the LORD. Who is this LORD?! He is Jehovah: literally, "He who IS". Not He who was (although that is true), not He who will be (although that is also true), but "He who IS." The One who transcends time, because He always existed! And I am to confidently hope in HE WHO IS with ALL my heart, not just a percentage (either big or small), but ALL of me.

"Lean not on your own understanding." Well, basically, my own understanding is pretty limited! How many times do I say to myself: "This world just doesn't make sense!" And when I try to figure it out, all the sadness and ugliness, the evil and pain, that comes around in our lives -- life is so hard sometimes, isn't it? For some reason, though, when I remember that the LORD is worthy of my trust, that He has everything under control, that He is completely GOOD … well, then it doesn't matter any more whether any or all of it makes sense or not. 

"In all your ways acknowledge Him … " In some of my ways? In most of my ways? No. In ALL of my ways, leaving out nothing, every single one of them! And what on earth does it mean to "acknowledge Him" ?? The word acknowledge means: "To recognize the rights or authority of; admit as true." I think it means to defer to His authority and control, because of who He is! Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14.6). Jesus, only Jesus!

" … and He will make your path straight." What is the promise given to me if I rely on the LORD to support me even when my heart is broken, when life is so messed up? Proverbs says that He will "make my path straight." I'm not sure what that means! I would like my life's path to lead directly to Jesus, without road blocks or detours! A nice straight pathway … all the way to His strong and loving arms. I hope that's what it means!