Trust in the Lord

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

   and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him and

   he will make straight your paths."

Proverbs 3:5-6

     This passage is a popular one.  One that I have read many, many times but seems to have more significance this month.   I do trust in the Lord with all of my heart.  The thing I need to do now is not lean on my own understanding.  My own understanding is lacking.   Isaiah says in chapter 55 verses 8-9, "for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord." Good thing.  My thoughts have not been kind.  My thoughts have been broken, trying desperately to figure out the why.   But His thoughts are not mine.  His ways are not mine.  What I thought was to be the best for me, because I truly believe that it was God that set it in motion, has now plummeted to the pits. I was thinking the other day, "what a testimony",  what started out as a testimony showing people that God answers our step of faith, has now perhaps turned the other way.  How can this be a testimony to follow God's call on your heart, I ask myself.  Others are going to see it as, I was just mistaken, I messed up, and am now where I am because of that.  I believe that God will change all of that.  I believe that God will "work all things together for good." (Rom 8:28) . I believe that God will have an even bigger display of His glory for this testimony in His time.
       Proverbs 3:7 goes on to tell us to "be not wise in our own eyes".  Our eyes are limited in what they can see.  We see what is temporary.  We see the here and now.  We see what we want to see.  We don't see what God sees.  We don't see how He is working behind the scenes.  Yet we need to simply look and we will see His hand there, in the little things.   We are to trust the Lord because it is safe. We can be confident He will be there.  We can be confident that He brings peace.   The Lord's power  and wisdom will remove obstacles and the debris in our path.  The straight path is a window into who God is.  Trust doesn't tell us to be careless but be care less, to strip away the cares and put them at the feet of Jesus.   When we do these things "it will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones." (Prov. 3:8) . We can rest knowing that He is refreshing and healing us.  He is refreshing and healing the hurts and bringing peace to our hearts.   God is the restorer.  He will restore all things.