5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Before GPS, I would rely on a map to help plan the route. I would write down the roads I would need to take, and most of the time arrive at my destination without any wrong turns. I don’t like to stop and ask for directions, I would rather figure it out on my own.
Proverbs 3:4-5, two very familiar verses, speak to our own insight versus God’s insight. How we prefer to see and travel life’s roads and how God sees our path. These verses tell us to trust God’s insight and our roads will be straight. This doesn’t mean we will be guaranteed a life free of problems, but the straight path will make it easier when we travel over the bumps in life’s roads. God’s insight will make our path simpler, clearer, better. When our path becomes difficult, walking with God means we never walk alone.
We should also note our own insights are not useless, but rather secondary to trusting God. Too often I get in a rush and forget to ask God for directions, because I know the way, the path I am going to take is familiar. Our own insight can lead us there just fine, but what if something changes? A detour to take. We should always check with God, because life is always changing. The more we trust God, the straighter our paths become. May we begin each day trusting and asking God, “Where to today, Lord?”
Matt