The Mystery of Trust

“Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and do not lean upon your own understanding; be mindful of Him in all your ways, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear Yahweh and turn away from evil. It will be healing for your flesh, and a refreshing drink to your bones.”

Proverbs 3:5-8 REV

So, let’s read a little further on in our Proverbs scripture, shall we? 😊

If you haven't read the previous reflection, you can catch it here on what it truly means to trust God.

Trust can be a bit of a mystery, too.

Do you give it freely or with caution? Or is it best kept all to ourselves?

Our life experiences certainly have a way of hindering our ability to trust God, especially when it comes to knowing how to fully place our trust in Him. Often, bad relationships and circumstances can lead us to trust the wrong people more and the right people less. We can sometimes become islands of mistrust, only knowing how to trust ourselves, because everyone else usually lets us down!

On pondering this passage further, I cannot help but notice some clear instructions worth chewing on:

“do not lean upon your own understanding,”

“do not be wise in your own eyes,” and

“fear Yahweh and turn away from evil.” 

In today’s modern culture, we may miss certain words that allude to a particular biblical cultural meaning.

For instance, the word “lean” in this passage speaks to a staff or walking stick—a familiar and super nifty accessory used by frequent travellers. And in biblical times, if you had to get somewhere, you typically had to walk there!

A staff provided support and protection, but it also had its limitations.

If you’ve ever hiked or enjoyed a long, brisk walk, you’ll understand how a stick helps at times. But if you lean too much on it at the wrong times (especially when it finds itself resting on shaky or rocky ground), it can slip instantly, causing incredible harm and damage in the process—particularly if you take a tumble with it.

Trusting in our own human understanding is very similar to our walking sticks. If we lean on it too much and carelessly do not look where we’re going, we may find ourselves on our behinds in the dirt in no time! In all my years of hiking, I have had a good tumble or two, landing on my bum with my 20kg hiking bag and all—not a pretty sight!

The truth is: God deserves our wholehearted trust—not little bits of it when it suits us or when we feel in the mood to give it.

In Proverbs 3, the Hebrew word used for “trust” is “bāṭaḥ” (pronounced baw-takh'), which means:

to have confidence in, be confident in, be bold in, or secure in.

What incredible words to think deeply on today.

Let’s not rely on our limited understanding, weakened by our human strength, doubts, misunderstandings, and fears. And let’s choose to trust and lean fully on our all-loving, holy, almighty Father God in everything.

As the passage says: “It will be healing for your flesh, and a refreshing drink to your bones.” What beautiful hope we have in Him, that our trust and full reliance on Him even brings healing to our physical bodies!

The reality is that He is always willing and waiting to show us what it means to trust Him fully, for He alone is worthy of ALL our trust.

Would you pray with me, dear friend:

Dear Father God,

Thank you for being worthy of all my trust and hope. Forgive me for doubting You and trusting too much in my own understanding.

Repair my capacity and ability to trust in You, I pray. Soften and heal my heart, where I've misplaced my trust in humans who were never designed or meant to carry it. I yield all that I am to You and choose to trust You with all my heart, now and always. Show me Your love for me today.

In Jesus' Name, Amen!