Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

I chose this verse back in college as my life verse, one to memorize and hold close when the stress of exams, big life decisions and relationships were weighing heavy on my heart and mind. I didn’t know that 20 years later this verse would continue to council me through life’s challenges.

There are three commands in these verses.

First, we are called to trust in the Lord with all our heart. Building trust in any relationship requires communication, connection and consistency. Likewise, to build trust in God requires communication, connection and consistency through regular prayer and time in His word. And when I find my trust faltering, I remind myself of who God is because God’s character proves trustworthy every time.

Psalm 145:8-9 tell us, “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made” (emphasis added). God’s character (His grace, compassion, patience and abundant love) pulls my soul into closer relationship while strengthening my trust in Him. 

Second, we are told not to depend on our own understanding. I routinely fall into thinking “if only I knew more,” or “maybe I can find answers on Google.” But God already has the answers I need. Instead of relying on my own wisdom, I must depend on the author of all wisdom. Thank goodness we have access to our heavenly Father, who’s wisdom and understanding are more vast than all the world’s libraries combined. That sure beats Google!

Once I have yielded my dependence on my own understanding, it frees me to seek Him, the third command in Proverbs 3:5-6. Abandoning my own plans frees me to seek Jesus with all that I have. Only when I surrender my own will can I truly begin to seek His. The Hebrew word translated as seek means to know. The best way to seek him in all you do is to know him more intimately.

Tucked at the end of Proverbs 3:5-6 is a promise to those who commit themselves to the first three commands (trust Him, depend on Him, seek Him). The promise is that God will show you which way to go.

In a world that aims to distract and harm you, take heart for God has a perfectly straight path already planned for you. Will you trust him to hold your hand and guide you?