ODJ: trusting when trembling

February 7, 2015 

READ: Proverbs 3:5-6 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding (v.5).

There are times when the very foundation of our life feels as if it’s shaking. That dreaded phone call in the night. That difficult news from the doctor. That heart-rending decision by a friend or family member. All of these things and more can cause us to agonise inside and tremble outside.

So where do we turn in moments like these?

Solomon wrote, “Trust in the LORD” (Proverbs 3:5). King Solomon was a man of immense riches and wisdom. Surely he had all the power and resources one could ask for as he faced the harshest, most bitter moments in life. But those things didn’t matter as much in his estimation. He put his faith in God. Why? Because he knew that God alone is worthy of our trust, for He’s perfect in His goodness and sovereign in His ways.

Next, Solomon addressed how to trust God: “With all your heart.” This doesn’t mean fickle hope or casual commitment. To trust with all one’s heart is to place our every circumstance in God’s all-powerful hands—not trying to beat back the cold winds with our own limited ones.

Solomon then wrote, “Do not depend on your own understanding.” For as Isaiah would later acknowledge, “ ‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine’ ” (Isaiah 55:8). We must submit to God’s perfect will and what He chooses to do. For He knows what’s best (Proverbs 3:6; Romans 8:28).

On the night Jesus was betrayed, He said to His disciples, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me” (John 14:1). Today, know that our good, sovereign, all-powerful God is just a prayer away. And Jesus is with you (Matthew 28:20). That’s something you can trust in! —Tom Felten

365-day plan› Exodus 7:15-9:7