1. This is the last cycle of our year’s series, and the last sermon on Proverbs.
- Proverbs 20:24 “A man’s steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way?”
- And Proverbs 3:5–6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
2. Explanation of Prov.3:5-6
- Trust in the Lord with all your heart
- Trust that He's in control.
- Trust that He knows what He's doing.
- Trust that He loves you and is for you, not against you.
- and do not lean on your own understanding.
- I.e. don't insist on figuring it all out – just be faithful.
- The implication here is that at times there will be a conflict between our will and God’s will.
- I have a friend who got stuck in a traffic jam on the way to the airport. As he fretted over missing his flight he watched the plane he was supposed to be on crash.
- God only vetoes our will when His will is better than ours.
- Proverbs 28:26 “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool.”
- Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
- Proverbs 20:24 “A man’s steps are from the LORD; how then can man understand his way? ”
- In all your ways acknowledge Him (i.e. in your actions and in your thoughts give Him the right to do things His way - let Him be God, remember that He is God)
- Yield to Him. Do everything in light of His presence and providence:“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)
- Admit that He knows better: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9)
- Rom.11:33–36 “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”...For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
- I mean. Let’s be logical. Who is it smart to trust?He knows what He’s doing, I don’t.
- The question is this: Who am I going to trust? My own tiny mind or God’s infinite and wise mind?
- How different is the thought of the Christian compared to the unbeliever!
- The believer knows he won’t be able to figure it all out, but he knows that everything is happening for a good reason.
- and He will make straight your paths (i.e. He will take care of you, He will make everything work out, He will see to it that all things work together for the good of everyone who loves Him and is called according to His purpose)
- The appeal here is not to trust in the Lord because it’s right, but to do it because it’s the best way to prosper as a person. It’s the best way to make sure your life goes along in a good, healthy and happy direction. The appeal is that it works! You look to God and He takes care of the results.
- There is a division of labor:
- Our job: keep our eyes on Jesus, trust in Him, love Him, abide in Him, be filled with HimHis job: make sure things go well with us, make sure we prosper, make sure our needs are met. “The protection of His child and treasure is a charge that on Himself He laid.” – Carolina Berg
- This is one of the most repeated and most emphasized themes in the Bible:
- Matthew 6:33 “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
- John 15:1–8 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit... 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing...7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
- And notice here in v.7 the place of the word in our prosperity: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you... ” We see this also in Psalm 1:2-3 “His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” So, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly .” (Col.3:16)
3. Application
- The Bible is full of long and winding straight paths: e.g. Job, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Paul.
- Think about all the strange things that happened to them, all the ups and downs, all the twists and turns, all the trials and the joys.
- Think about how each one of those stories begins with a man who is talented, successful and pretty sure of himself. And each story ends with a man who is humbled, bruised, limping and a lot less sure of himself.
- And yet, God was faithful to each one. Each story is a masterpiece of adventure, drama, suspense, character development, redemption, divine faithfulness and ultimately triumph.
- The same will be true with your story, if you love God and are called according to His purpose.
- But in the meantime, you’re in for a ride! You’ve got to be ready for some adventure.
- And, as C.S. Lewis said, adventures are only fun and enjoyable after the fact.
- Your story will include crisis. It will probably include tragedy. And scariness. And pain. Maybe a lot of pain. Sometimes you’ll be shaken to the core. Sometimes the things that are happening won’t make any sense to you.
- But man! what a story is being told! — by the greatest story-teller of all!
- Think about Job’s story. When it was all over, I bet Job had no regrets. However, I also bet that he wouldn’t want to go through it all again.
- And I think that would be true about each one of these men.
- There is no better captain than Jesus. He is the key to my success. He holds all things — including me — in his hands.
- I would like to end by playing for you a song that says all this well, an old favorite of mine by Andrae Crouch, entitled Through It All:
I’ve had many tears and sorrows,
I’ve had questions for tomorrow,
There’s been times I didn’t know right from wrong.
But in every situation,
God gave me blessed consolation,
that my trials come to only make me strong.
Through it all, through it all,
I’ve learned to trust in Jesus, I’ve learned to trust in God.
Through it all, through it all,
I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.
I’ve been to lots of places,
I’ve seen a lot of faces,
There’s been times I felt so all alone.
But in my lonely hours,
Yes, those precious lonely hours,
Jesus lets me know that I was His own.
Through it all, through it all,
I’ve learned to trust in Jesus,
I’ve learned to trust in God.
Through it all, through it all,
I’ve learned to depend upon His Word.
I thank God for the mountains, and
I thank Him for the valleys,
I thank Him for the storms
He brought me through.
For if I’d never had a problem,
I wouldn’t know God could solve them,
I’d never know what faith in God could do.