Are you a know-it-all? – Proverbs 3

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5

Some people act like they know all there is to know. Quick to speak out in any group, with a condescending attitude designed to make everyone around them feel stupid, they are pleased to pontificate upon any petty provocation.

It’s hard to imagine, but sometimes we can be this way around God. We protest his decisions. We roar against the setbacks we experience. We cry and complain over every little thing that doesn’t go our way.

As if we could do better at running the universe.

Better than God? Who do we think we are?

Think I’m exaggerating? That’s exactly the kind of behaviour this verse warns against. It reminds us that if we “lean on our own understanding” alone, we are seriously missing out.

We need to trust that Father God knows best. We need to look to him for guidance before we leap into a situation that looks good to us now but might be damaging in the long run.

We need to trust him with our hearts, knowing that he loves us and his plans for us are only for our good. The hardest part of loving anyone is being vulnerable enough to trust the other person with our emotions. We can trust God.

We can trust the one who knew us before we were born. Read Psalm 139 to get an idea of how well God knows you. He knows your every thought, and your every word before you speak it.

We can trust the one who knows all and sees the passage of time in an instant.

“I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come.” – Isaiah 46:10

We don’t know much compared to that, do we?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. – Proverbs 3:5

Please be sure to read the chapter of Proverbs from which this devotional is taken. The point of these posts is to inspire or remind you to dig into Proverbs for yourself. May God bless you and give you strength and wisdom to live your best life for him!