Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:3-8
Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
Then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
A Reflection:
There is something very satisfying about driving on straight roads, not motorways because they are too busy, but straight country roads, of which sadly there are very few in England since we moved away from the old Roman roads. I remember driving in France many years ago, travelling south down a ‘D’ road, equivalent to our ‘B’ roads. It was as straight as a dye as far as the eye could see, with great views of the road ahead and also of the glorious open countryside around.
Solomon, writing his proverbs, says that God will make our path through life straight when we trust in him and acknowledge him.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
There are times in all of our lives that are confusing, times when we don’t really understand what is happening or why things are working out as they are doing. These are the times that can make us anxious or fearful, these are the times that can cause us to doubt God’s love for us, or to question his sovereignty. So how do we trust God in these times?
The key, I think, is given in the phrase ‘in all your ways acknowledge him’. I think God want us to talk to him about all that’s going on in our lives, to acknowledge his presence with us whatever we are doing and whatever is happening, to chat things through with him just as we would with a close friend or member of the family.
Acknowledging God’s presence with us in these times allows his Holy Spirit to encourage us in the situation and to guide us safely through. Acknowledging his presence with us, according to our reading, also helps us to shun evil and will bring health to our bodies and strength to our bones.
Wellbeing is a popular concept at the moment. Trusting in God in all things gives us a straight pathway to wellbeing: spiritually, emotionally and, it seems, physically.
Pray:
Thanks you Lord that you are always there to encourage me and to guide me.
Help me to trust you, and to acknowledge your presence in all things.
Amen
The Lord’s my shepherd
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