Category: Lessons from the Wise Guy
Trust unto the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your understanding. On all your roads know Him and He will straighten your paths. (Proverbs 3:5, 6)
Those who have memorized this famous couplet will recognize where my translation differs from the popular English versions. They typically read, "In all your ways acknowledge Him," where I have it "know Him." I believe the sage has something deeper in mind than simply admitting God's existence as we jog down the paths of life. In order to trust a man, we need more than a general acquaintance with him, we need to know his character, his abilities, his successes. We need to know that he is worthy of our trust. The same is true of God. In order to grow in our trust of Him, we must grow in our intimate knowledge of Him.
Reaching back to the time before Krista and I wed, one of the key phrases of our relationship has been trust me. Whenever I want to cease all questionning or speculation in her mind, I say those two words and all conversation ceases. With this terse expression, I affirm to my wife that whatever the subject happens to be, she can set aside any doubt and rely wholeheartedly in what I have affirmed. Now, the onus is squarely on me to come through every time, otherwise the phrase will fail to carry the same force. Early on, she would respond like the man who said to Jesus, "I believe; help my unbelief." She chose to trust me, but it was based more on mere volition than on experience. She did not yet possess enough historical evidence to determine whether my word could be trusted. She did not know me well enough. But as her knowledge of my character has expanded, she knows that when I say those words it is a sure thing.
Now there is still one good reason for Krista to doubt me. I am fallible, fallen, and finite. Regardless of my best intentions or purest motives, I may still fail her. In the end, I may not be strong enough. Fatigue or miscalculation may prove my downfall. There are mulititudes of circumstances that are beyond my control, any number of which might destroy my plan. The same is not true of God, however. He cannot come up short. Failure is an absolute impossibility with Him. And this is why we need to know Him. We need to know what He has promised. We need to consider His track record. We need to become intimately familiar with His character. Simply put, we need to spend time with our Father learning who He is and what He's about. This knowledge comes, of course, primarily through reading the letters He wrote to us, talking with Him in prayer, and getting to know His other children. As we attain to and progress in this kind of relationship with Him, we will find that the road is not so long and winding. The way becomes more clear. We don't have to stop and ask directions so often.