In God We Trust“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5) This is one of the most familiar verses in the Bible related to wisdom and direction from God. The first part appears easy for we are to trust God with all our heart just like what it says on our money, our Federal Reserve Notes, our coins and dollar bills from the Washingtons to the Benjamins. But many of us find trusting God difficult since we operate in the world’s antitrust mode. We even joke about it. I saw a sign that says “In God we trust, all others pay cash.” The next part of Proverbs 3:5, however, is not so clear. We are NOT to lean on our own understanding. If we are not to lean on our own understanding, then whose understanding are we to lean on? God’s and His Word! In the Bible God set up structures by which those in authority made decisions. God has always set a principle whereby we are to seek Him in all of our decisions, that He might truly make our decisions as the ultimate Decider. In ancient Israel, the priest made decisions based on which way the Urim and Thummim fell inside his breastplate. The casting of lots was another means of allowing a decision to be left with God. “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33). Another means of making a decision was through the agreement of two or three others. No one could be guilty of any crime without the eyewitness of two or three. This was a Biblical way of confirming a matter. Still another means of making a decision is through a multitude of counselors, where there is safety in numbers. God reminds us in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?” What really protects each of us from the deceit of our own heart is ALL of the above. When we get to a place with God that our decisions are accountable to others, whether that be a spouse, a business partner, an investor, a venture capitalist, a creditor, a board of directors, or a few close friends who are committed to the same Godly ideals, this is when we are protected from the deceit of our own heart. One of the hardest things to yield to God is the right to make our own decisions. Yet, it is the most basic principle God requires of us in order to receive His abundant blessings, protection and favor in our lives. I would never make a major decision without the counsel of the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, spiritual leaders and others who are close to me. Relational accountability has become lost in our me-first culture due to our hunger for independence. I have too often felt the pain and suffering that results from making dumb and dumber decisions that God isn’t behind. Walking in obedience to God’s Word, no matter how painful to our selfish flesh or foolish to our carnal mind, is the only way to go. Walk on, and leave all the selfishness behind. Copyright © 2002 Eddy Ministries. All rights reserved. Subscribe/Unsubscribe:
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