Proverbs 3:5-6

 

#13Jan2026

Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)

“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.” 

Honestly, I love all of Proverbs and there is more added to this verse that grips me, but I did want to focus primarily on this one above. To give a backstory, when me and my husband lived in San Angelo, Texas, I had this scripture on my wall as one of those wall decorations. I was like, “I like that one,” without truly knowing how much I would have to live this out. *Side note: it’s amazing when we’re not even being intentional in the spirit, God is.* 

It was only really when my husband and I were about to make a big move to San Antonio, Texas, did this scripture even make sense. There was quite a bit of warfare, and we knew it too, because there was no doubt that this is what we were supposed to be doing. Did we have clear directions? Definitely not, but we both had to “trust God and lean not into our own understanding.” There were no signs, no directions saying, “Go here” or “Go there”. It was just, “If we don’t move now, we never will,” so the move had to be done. We haven’t looked back since, moved in faith, and have grown in the spirit quickly ever since. 

The word “trust” is a verb…an action; it is a command from the Lord to have confidence in Him, but not only to have confidence in Him but with all of our hearts. This means with the totality of our conscience, mind, and morals. Everything that we have learned in the world literally has to be unlearned in the spiritual. God will surely confound the wisdom of the wise. What we think might be the answer just might be the opposite with a mind that’s not yielded to God. 

The word “lean” means to trust in, lean upon, or use as a support.  In reference to the scripture, we are commanded to “lean not” into our own understanding. I cannot use my own understanding from this world as my support system, my oxygen supply. If I’m not led by Holy Spirit, according to His Word, then I am tossed to-and-fro like a ship without a sail.  My oxygen supply is from the oxygen Supplier Jesus Christ. This is the very air we breathe to give praises back to Him and re-establish dominion back here on earth, when our voices are used in prayer and supplication.

Moving in our “own understanding” signifies a different path than was originally intended by the Lord.  It leads me to Proverbs 19:21, “Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand,” magnifying the Lord’s Word and voice over our own fleshly desires. Psalms 34:7: “Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.” This scripture even more magnifies the Lord’s desires over our own because we’ve decided and made the intentional, conscious decision to choose His will over our own. When we delight in the Lord, our desires become His desires; our heart will match the wants and needs of His. 

Verse six states, “in all your ways acknowledge Him.” Your “ways” are your journeys that are taken. The “acknowledgment” is knowing the Lord throughout the journey. This states that I have to know the Lord, and grow to know the Lord in this journey, which in turn directs my paths. How can we know true and real clarity without the Light that brings it? John 8:12,“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows the Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life.’”  

This verse speaks a mind re-configuration to think like Christ and to move as Holy Spirit guides. There’s clarity when there’s proximity. 

***Thank you Lord for all that you have done by renewing our minds day in and day out when we decide to spend time with you. May we spend even more time with you as the days pass. May we not be slow to approach the altar and rekindle that fire with you that may have been lost. Father, we repent for not always making time for you. Lord, whatever you tell us to put down, let us do so hastily and not begrudgingly, but with our whole heart, soul, and mind. Father, we thank you that we can totally and completely lean and depend on you. We thank you for being our support-system and our oxygen-supply. You are literally the air we breathe, so let us use this air accordingly and not waste it on mischievous matters. Lord, teach us by your Spirit on how to totally and completely depend, lean, and rely on you. Show us what this looks like without us calling it the devil. Father, mature our spiritual sight and discernment to know if it be a test from you in-order to mature us, and mold us into what we’re truly supposed to be and how we truly are supposed to look. We honor you forever. In Jesus’ Name—Amen.***