“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
In the book of Jeremiah, the Lord puts the whole matter of trusting Him in a very descriptive perspective. He says, “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” (9:23-24) What is the Lord saying here, and for what purpose? He is making the eternal and clear distinction between Himself as the object of all trust, as compared with all that man would trust in, his wisdom, strength, and his riches. By these words, the Lord brings mankind to His footstool, and calls us to look up and away to Him. As Isaiah would write, “all flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field.” (Is. 40:6) That which is true of grass, but not true of God, is that it not only withers, fades, and dies, but God in contrast, abides for ever, never changing. That which is most beautifully conveyed to us by Jeremiah, is that this unchanging, eternal God, is the ONLY God, and Lord. As such He delights in lovingkindness, which is an expression of His love. He is the only true Judge of all on the earth, past and present, for He alone knows all things, and is perfectly just in His approach, assessment, and justice. Not only this but God delights in righteousness, that which is right in His eyes. Why? Because that which is right in principle, law, promise and commandment, is the refection and essence of Himself, perfectly good, pure, and holy. This is the God who calls us to trust Him, who lays the basis for trust, and gives grace to the one who would seek Him in order to trust Him fully. What then are four spiritual reference points in one’s seeking God, to know Him?
The first is found in Jesus’ teaching on prayer, when He instructs us to pray: “Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come, and Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:9-10) Worship of the Father in spirit and truth, with clean hands and a pure heart, is always the first thing. Why? For one thing, our vision of God according to truth, empowered by the Spirit, is maintained. The object of our faith is clearly set before us. As to the coming of His kingdom, and the doing of His will, worship leads us specifically into alignment with the purposes of God. The application of these truths is seen in Proverbs 3, where we are called to trust in the Lord with ALL our hearts, and not lean unto our understanding, relying upon His Spirit to guide us into all truth, and reveal the things that are freely given to us in Christ. He, according to the greatness of His very present, and daily, mercies, will enable us to worship, and be led by Him, into paths of His righteousness, if we give Him access to do so.
The second reference point is daily denial of self, taking up of one’s cross, to follow Christ. Again, by the mercies of God, this is possible. The denial of self drives us to consider Christ alone. The taking up of one’s cross is the embracing of Christ’s work on Calvary whereby we died in Adam, to live as new creatures in Christ, in the body of Christ.
The third reference point is Christ’s joy, rejoicing in Him always. Moses wrote: “Satisfy us early with Thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”
Lastly, giving of thanks in all things, with constant prayer, is clearly essential.
Dear Father, Fill us with Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.