Proverbs 3:1-16: a reflection

1My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, 2for they will add to you length of days, years of life, and peace. 3Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4So you will find favor, and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. 6In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. 7Don’t be wise in your own eyes. Fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8It will be health to your body, and nourishment to your bones. 9Honor the LORD with your substance, with the first fruits of all your increase; 10so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. 11My son, don’t despise the LORD’s discipline, neither be weary of his correction; 12for whom the LORD loves, he corrects, even as a father reproves the son in whom he delights. 13Happy is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gets understanding. 14For her good profit is better than getting silver, and her return is better than fine gold. 15She is more precious than rubies. None of the things you can desire are to be compared to her. 16Length of days is in her right hand. In her left hand are riches and honor.

Among the counsels of this chapter stands one of the plainest and most trusted: trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, the proverb says, and don't lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. The counsel sets two things against each other: trusting the LORD with our whole heart, and leaning on our own understanding. We are to do the first and not the second: to trust God wholly, and to acknowledge him in all our ways, rather than relying only on our own limited understanding to find our way. And the promise follows: he will make our paths straight. This shows the call to trust God wholly rather than lean on our own understanding. Trust the LORD with all your heart; do not lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge God in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight. Do not rely only on your own limited understanding to find your way. Trusting God, not our own understanding, is the path to straight paths.

Notice the two things the proverb sets against each other. On one side is trusting the LORD with all our heart: relying on God wholly, with our whole heart, for guidance and for our way. On the other is leaning on our own understanding: relying only on our own reasoning, our own grasp of things, our own ability to figure out our way. The proverb tells us to do the first and not the second: trust the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. And it adds: in all your ways acknowledge him, bring him into all your ways and decisions, and he will make your paths straight. This holds practical wisdom for how we find our way. We are prone to lean on our own understanding: to trust our own reasoning, our own judgment, our own grasp of situations, to figure out our path by ourselves. But our understanding is limited; we do not see the whole, and we can be wrong. The proverb calls us instead to trust God with our whole heart, not relying only on our own understanding but bringing God into all our ways, acknowledging him, seeking and trusting his guidance. And the promise is that, as we do, he will make our paths straight, guiding us rightly where our own understanding would fail. We do well to trust God with all our heart, not leaning on our own understanding, but acknowledging him in all our ways, trusting him to guide us. Trust God with all your heart, not leaning on your own limited understanding. Acknowledge God in all your ways, and trust him to make your paths straight. Do not rely only on your own reasoning to find your way. Bring God into all your ways and decisions, trusting his guidance.

That is worth taking to heart, for we are called to trust God with all our heart rather than lean on our own understanding, and he will make our paths straight, as the proverb counsels. We are prone to lean on our own limited understanding to find our way; but the proverb calls us to trust God wholly and acknowledge him in all our ways. Trust him. Do not rely only on your own understanding to find your way; trust God with all your heart, acknowledge him in all your ways, and trust him to make your paths straight. Trust God with all your heart rather than leaning on your own limited understanding, acknowledging him in all your ways and trusting him to make your paths straight, as among the counsels of this chapter stands the plain and trusted call to trust in the LORD with all your heart and not lean on your own understanding, adding that in all your ways you should acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight; for the counsel sets two things against each other, trusting the LORD with our whole heart and leaning on our own understanding, and we are to do the first and not the second, trusting God wholly and acknowledging him in all our ways rather than relying only on our own limited understanding, with the promise that he will make our paths straight, which holds practical wisdom for how we find our way, since we are prone to lean on our own understanding and trust our own reasoning and judgment to figure out our path by ourselves, but our understanding is limited and we do not see the whole and can be wrong, so that the proverb calls us instead to trust God with our whole heart, not relying only on our own understanding but bringing God into all our ways and seeking and trusting his guidance, with the promise that as we do he will make our paths straight and guide us rightly where our own understanding would fail, so that we do well to trust God with all our heart and acknowledge him in all our ways.

Lord, among the counsels of this chapter stands one of the plainest and most trusted: trust in you with all my heart, and do not lean on my own understanding. Trust in the LORD with all your heart, the proverb says, and don't lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. The counsel sets two things against each other: trusting you with my whole heart, and leaning on my own understanding. I am to do the first and not the second: to trust you wholly, and to acknowledge you in all my ways, rather than relying only on my own limited understanding to find my way. And the promise follows: you will make my paths straight. Show me the two things the proverb sets against each other. On one side is trusting you with all my heart: relying on you wholly, with my whole heart, for guidance and for my way. On the other is leaning on my own understanding: relying only on my own reasoning, my own grasp of things, my own ability to figure out my way. The proverb tells me to do the first and not the second. And it adds: in all my ways acknowledge you, bring you into all my ways and decisions, and you will make my paths straight. This holds practical wisdom for how I find my way. I am prone to lean on my own understanding: to trust my own reasoning, my own judgment, to figure out my path by myself. But my understanding is limited; I do not see the whole, and I can be wrong. You call me instead to trust you with my whole heart, not relying only on my own understanding but bringing you into all my ways, acknowledging you, seeking and trusting your guidance. And the promise is that, as I do, you will make my paths straight. Take that to my heart. Keep me from relying only on my own limited understanding to find my way; help me trust you with all my heart, Lord, acknowledging you in all my ways and decisions, and trusting you to make my paths straight, guiding me rightly where my own understanding would fail.