“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3: 5-6

A year and a half ago, I found myself in a new city with a new best friend: the Waze app. I found the saying, “Everything is bigger in Texas” to be true about their roads too. The highways were large and my inability to navigate the Dallas traffic effectively was reflected in the amount of times I had to text someone, “Running late.”

It was months before I could go anywhere without needing a GPS. I’m the kind of map follower who prefers the mystery map reader to say the directions aloud to me. “In a half mile, take a left.”

Thank you, technology.

I find myself wishing for the same kind of narrator as I navigate the decisions of my day–even the smallest of options like what to order for lunch. Where’s the voice that says, “In 500 feet, order the salad”?

Our reality is that we face way bigger decisions than just what to eat for lunch. What do we do when we receive unexpected news from the doctor? How do we handle a child’s behavioral problems at school? How do we decide which college to go to or which job to take? How do we get out of debt?

I don’t know about you, but I find myself asking God for wisdom and discernment almost daily. There is always something in front of me that requires me to look at Him and ask, “What do I do?” instead of relying on my own understanding of how to get there. While I don’t hear an audible voice respond, I do have His directions at my fingertips.

His Word is full of His wisdom. Proverbs tell us to not only trust Him, but to “…not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5). When I think about trying to navigate a new city by guessing my way through the directions I start to sweat. That feels daunting and stressful and I imagine myself wandering and ultimately in tears. When I think about navigating on my own the daily challenges and decisions that are put in front of me I feel the same way.

If I don’t lean on my own understanding of my world it means I get to lean on God. To physically lean on someone means getting to take some of the weight off what’s holding me down. It means getting to exhale. I’m held up by the strength of the sturdy shoulder I rest on.

Do we believe God to be that sturdy anchor in our lives? Do we lean on Him as a form of surrender or find ourselves seeing it as a weakness?

I eventually learned my way around Dallas, or at least my way around my little bubble of Dallas. It was only by repetition and practice that I could make it to Target and back or to my favorite Tex Mex place without needing to pull out my phone. As we learn God’s Word and learn His character we learn what His way of living looks like. We learn that His direction is always better than ours.

We lean on Him, our strong anchor, and in the leaning we find our way.

—–

Written by Katy Boatman, Sr. Copywriter and Community Manager

Download the February Conversation Cards – choose from our Getting to know God set or our Growing with God set

Get the recipe for Overnight Coffee Cake