Learning to Trust on Life’s Paths

Whale Point Walk - Haga Haga - Easter Cape

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and He will make your paths straight.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Don’t you just love a good nature walk or hike?

Exploring a beautiful location or hiking up to a marvellous viewpoint, all while getting some good exercise in—it's incredibly fun getting all adventurous at times, but it can be challenging, too.

I think life can feel like a hike at times.

One moment you’re joyfully walking along humming your favourite tune as you soak in the magnificent scenery around you; the next you’re crawling desperately on all fours up a steep bank, or clamouring over precarious stones and enormous boulders, all while desperately trying not to fall.

Sometimes the path is easy, and sometimes it can be life-threatening! Sometimes the path is clear, and you know exactly where you’re headed, and other times it is incredibly unclear (especially when the path begins to hide itself or a thick mist descends upon you, clouding your view). In these times, you're not even sure whether you’re going in the right direction!

Sound familiar?

In another Bible translation for Prov 3:5-6, instead of saying “He will make your paths straight”, it says, “He will direct your paths.”

Boy, wouldn’t it be a lot easier if God could let us know exactly what the path holds ahead of us? The ‘inner planner’ in me shouts ‘Yes, please!’ to that idea!

Wouldn’t it be amazing to see the full extent of the path ahead—every turn, every ascent, every descent? We’ll know exactly where it gets a bit daunting or precarious ahead, so we can prepare ourselves and know precisely where God is leading us.

The problem, dear friend, is where would trust come in?

A genuine relationship with our Father God would never grow or mature if He always told us what lay ahead and what we should and shouldn't do.

Does God owe us a full diagram of what’s ahead in our lives? No. But sometimes, we don’t realise that we live life in such a way that we think He does. We found ourselves frustrated, deeply angry, disappointed, and full of sadness when life didn't turn out the way we’d hoped or perceived. And those feelings are valid, but oh dear friend, we should bring these feelings to Him and not bottle them up inside, where they will only harm our souls.

Trust is built in the dim, dark trenches of uncertainty and great difficulty.

Life never quite works out the way we planned it in our hearts. Jesus never said our lives would be easy or comfortable, or clearly marked out with giant, flashing arrows and detailed maps along the way. Although how amazing would that be!?

It all comes down to these truths on our part—trusting Him, submitting in all our ways to Him, and... not leaning on our own understanding.

Then, we can hold onto the promise that God will always lead and guide us on our path ahead. It's about placing our full trust in God, no matter what we see ahead of us—clear or unclear. Our responsibility is to seek Him and walk in His ways, and to surrender every part of us to Him.

When we do the trusting and submitting, we can rest in the certainty that He will always take care of the rest. Especially our feet...

Peace is not found in the certainty of the path ahead or of knowing where our feet tread next. True peace is only in Him as He surrounds us, fills us, and gently leads us forward.