Do you? Of course. It seems we all do. Not always a good idea. However we are warned not to do this. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with ALL thine heart and lean NOT on your own understanding.” (Caps, mine) But still, we will trust in ourselves first. I’m not certain that it is a lack of trust in the Lord in all things at all times, I think it is more that we just tend to (unthinkingly?) follow what we ‘think’. Or is that really only an excuse?
Verse 6 completes the thought, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” The promise is that He shall direct. ‘Shall’ is not an equivocal word – it means precisely, shall. This means that as we intentionally acknowledge Him and His involvement in our lives, as we turn to Him to seek the steps we need to take that He will give us the direction. Direct, though, still leaves the following up to us. We do tend to overdo the independent mindset but it really is still our decision to follow or not. And yes, we do ‘know’ better but sometimes that isn’t in the forefront of our thinking.
The parable about the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-34) tells the ‘story’ of a man who focused on his understanding, desires, and subsequent actions… and the result of this behavior is… (v. 20) This parable also give us a number of lessons that help us live our lives, if we choose to learn them, – about treasure, worry, seeking. We need to answer the questions of where our treasure is – earthly or divine. Why we are worrying and its effects (v. 22-28). And what it is we should seek (v.31). If we can resolve our concerns surrounding treasure, worry, and seeking then we do live in strength and not fear.
I also believe that there has to be a presumptive basis for truth, an ultimate source, ‘expert’, to rely on and for me this is scripture. This provides me examples and standards on which to judge my beliefs and actions. Scripture demonstrates the faithfulness and unchanging nature of the God of the universe. In doing this, it tells me that I can trust and lean on this for my understanding rather than ‘hoping’ I got it right when I lean on my own understanding.
