All my heart
Last week there were issues beyond my control. And control has always been my go-to. I’m a slow learner, but I have improved. These issues were not life and death. Yet they seemed to loom large. And a verse that has been memorized by so many took over my thoughts.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 BSB)
My head wanted to say “But what about this and what about that…” but my heart repeated: Trust in the Lord. So, I decided to take apart these well-loved verses and really look at them.
Trust in God – not in my own abilities. Because, truth be told, how many times have I messed things up.
With all your heart – not with plan B in mind, complete surrender. A divided heart is one devoted to self and to another. God wants it all.
Lean not – I can lean on friends, my hubby, my children. But the only one who can hold me steady indefinitely is my Jesus.
On your own understanding – not what I see and know, because I can’t see or know it all. But God does.
In all your ways acknowledge Him – don’t default to what the world is telling me, or the plumber, or the a/c guy, or the doctor. My Father is in all the details, look to Him no matter how seemingly mundane the issue.
And He will make your paths straight – Google can’t straighten my paths no matter how much I search. My best earthly adviser is only that, an adviser. No one has the power to get me towards the best outcome other than God.
It’s amazing how many times the phrase “all your heart” appears in the Bible. God not only wants, but deserves our full devotion. He gives us our very breath. He brought us to salvation in Christ. And He has made an eternity where joy knows no bounds.
The rest of last week when I would start to question outcomes, I repeated the verse in a personalized way: I will trust in the Lord with all my heart. I will not lean on my own understanding. In all I do I will acknowledge Him. And He will make my paths straight. God’s Word is personal, so make it personal to you.
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parisrenae 
Control is certainly my idol of choice—and yesterday it dawned on me that when I’m “worrying” about something and how it’s going to turn out, I’m actually strategizing a life without God at the center.
Convicting…
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I like the way you put that – we are the ones trying to figure out a “strategy” – yet, He is working through us for He loves us so.
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God speaks to all of us through your writing. Thank you and I pray this week is better.
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Thank you, friend, kind words. We all have those times right? But everyday in Jesus is new and a reason to rejoice.
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I’m visiting your blog for the first time via the “Let’s Have Coffee” link up and I’m happy to have found you as your words spoke to me. I’ve never thought of how many times “all my heart’ is in the bible but I will certainly be mindful of this moving forward. I also love adding an “I’ to each of the statements in the Proverbs reading as you suggest. It truly makes things active versus passive in my intentions.
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Laua, so glad you visited. It is humbling to find that you were touched by my words. I always ask God to let me encourage another. He loves you so and wrote His Word just for you as if you were the only one going to read it. It is living and active and in it we can find what our souls need. Blessings as you journey with Him.
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