"Trust In The Lord" The Meaning Of

Proverbs 3:5-6
6 min reading - 1767 words

In the biblical book of Proverbs, chapter 3 and verses 5 and 6 are popular in the
Christian faith. ✝️

People often quote them as a way of trusting God when things are tough. They
are a source of comfort when a person is going through a situation they don’t
understand. The wisdom in Proverbs 3:5-6 is necessary for every situation you
face in life. Verses 5 and 6 are part of one sentence:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In
all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths".
Proverbs 3:5-6 

To better understand and explain Proverbs 3:5-6 we have to coconsider verses

together. This gives the context of the message they convey to the reader.
Though simple, these two Bible verses are power-packed and deliver a hard-
hitting message. That if you trust in the Lord instead of your human wisdom,
God will show you the right path to take. 🤲

Before we dive into the deeper meaning of Proverbs 3:5-6, let’s look at who
wrote it.

1) WHO WROTE PROVERBS 3:5-6 ?

👑 King Solomon wrote most of the book of Proverbs, (Old Testament) where
we find chapter 3 passages 5 and 6. We know this because Proverbs 1:1 says,
“The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel." (King David wrote
most of the book of Psalms). Proverbs 25:1 says that the men of Hezekiah king
of Judah copied the proverbs of Solomon. Agur and King Lemuel wrote Proverbs
30 and 31 respectively. 

Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived. He asked God for wisdom to rule
the people of Israel 🇮🇱, and they recognized that his wisdom was divine. 1
Kings 4:32 says Solomon had three thousand proverbs to his name. The
proverbs were a reflection of the wisdom Solomon had gleaned throughout his
life. 

Learn more about Solomon King in this detailed article; Solomon's Words for the
Wise. Discover and see these new thoughts and lessons that you can use to live
a life of wisdom.

2) WHAT IS THE MEANING OF PROVERBS 3:5-6 ?

What does Proverbs 3:5-6 mean is that we are to trust God with all our hearts
and not depend on what we know 🤔. At all times, include God in everything you
do, and this way, you give Him a chance to keep you on the right track. You may
not always know what lies ahead.

The general application of these verses is that in any given situation, trust Our
Lord because He knows what to do. You don’t always know what to do, and
relying on your wisdom or intelligence will mislead you. When you involve God in
every action step you take to rectify a situation, you will arrive at the right
solution. 👌

In this section, we will look at Proverbs 3:5-6 in three distinct parts, that is:

1. Trust in the Lord with all your heart

2. And lean not on your own understanding
3. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

A. "TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART" MEANING

The world has taught us that we are very capable of handling anything that
comes our way. Many of the methods don’t include the power of God ⚡, but that
of man. As a child of God, put your trust in Him instead of the many ways of the
world (Psalm 20:7). 
When you trust in God with all your heart, it means that you leave no room for
doubt. You believe what He says because you know He is always right and will
never deceive you. God sees the bigger picture and therefore knows what lies
ahead of you and what you don’t see. Trust in God in every situation and
relationship in your life.

Trusting God comes naturally when you know Him and how He works. It’s hard
to trust someone you don’t know and can’t rely on. God is trustworthy and faithful
and has proven Himself throughout the Bible. When you spend time to read the
scriptures, you will know God and His ways and be familiar with His will. 🧐

God expects that you will trust Him with all your heart, not just a part of it ❤.
When we don’t trust Him wholeheartedly, we question His abilities and tuck in a
Plan B, just in case He doesn’t come through. Put your complete trust in God
knowing He won’t let you down. 

B. "AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING" MEANING

Many times we try to figure things out in a situation yet we don’t always have all
the information. The second part of verse 5 tells us not to depend on our
understanding of things because we could be wrong 😕. You may have
misinterpreted someone's words or underestimated a certain danger or threat. 

We love being in control and tend to stay away from anything that makes us lose
our grasp of any situation. That is why Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still,” meaning that
we should stop striving to do things in our strength.

Read also on the blog: The Meaning of Psalm 46:10 to you as a child of God.

Let go of your ideas or inventions, and allow the wisdom of God to prevail. Your
opinion should not rank higher than what our God says because you don’t always
know the truth about something. 🙅‍♀

You have to let go of what you think you know so that God can show you the
truth. You may have biased opinions based on false beliefs. God has given us
the Spirit of truth - the Holy Spirit - to show us the truth in every situation we face
(John 14:17). 

C. "IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE SHALL DIRECT

YOUR PATHS" MEANING

Proverbs 3:6 urges us to involve God in all our ways and this way, we give Him a
chance to direct our steps in the right direction. The Christian life is one that you
live in surrender to the Lord.

You live your life for Christ Jesus after you are born again (2 Corinthians 5:15).
This means that God is a part of every area of your life and the things you do. He
wants to make sure you are always on the right track. 😊

When you are intimate with God, you give Him access to all your life, not just a
part of it. You allow Him to have a say in the things you plan on doing to make
sure you don’t end up on a dead-end road. Remember, there is a path that looks
right to a man but in the end, it leads to death (Proverbs 14:12). 💀

God’s ways are perfect and He makes your ways secure and righteous. The way
we do things should reflect God’s ways.

3) CONCLUSION
Psalm 84:12 in the Bible says that the one who trusts in the Lord is blessed. 🙏

You accrue blessings for trusting God instead of your understanding. Following
God’s way in every situation will lead to peace and prosperity and you have no
reason to worry. When God is in charge, He brings good out of an unpleasant
situation and makes sure you are victorious. ✊

Trust God with all your heart.

God’s word is right and true and you can bank on it (Psalm 33:4). God is faithful
and always stands by His word. He is your helper and will help you when you
don’t know what to do. He will never leave you or forsake you in your time of
need. 

Trust God always and your path will be secure and stable. ❤

 DISCOVER: STOP WORRYING AND LEARN TO

TRUST GOD
If you want to stop worrying and learn to Trust God discover in this great article:

 What is Worry?
 How to know God’s ways and thoughts
 How to stop worrying even when everything around you says otherwise
Read here: Learning to Trust God – Stop Worrying

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A new year begins with enthusiasm, optimism and hope. While none of us could have
foreseen the virus that plagued our world last March causing 2020 to be difficult for
everyone, the only way we have been able to make it through is by the strength of the
Lord and His word.
Most of us have a favorite verse in the Bible that encourages us and brings hope when
things are difficult. A favorite of mine is Proverbs 3:5-6, which states, “Trust in the
Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways
acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Encouraged to memorize it when
I was younger, it has been an invaluable help to me all during my life and especially
during the last year.

There’s something very calming about repeating the words of scripture aloud. Those
who know Proverbs 3:5-6 know the power of saying it to themselves when they are
going through difficult times: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.”

When we can’t understand the crisis or solve the problem, we can say, “Trust in the
Lord with all your heart.” When you can’t bear the pain or withstand the pressure, you
can remind yourself to “Trust in Him with all your heart.” When the enemy is
relentless in attacking, you can calm your fears by repeating Proverbs 3:5-6, which
reminds us of four truths.

First is Reliance. To “trust in the Lord” is a total dependence upon God. When we
trust in the Lord, we leave the most valuable thing we possess, our immortal soul, to
the safekeeping of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Second is Renunciation. “Lean not on your own understanding” means that God
knows the way and we don’t. At times we can’t figure things out on our own and have
no answers and we must acknowledge Jesus as Lord of all the accidents and incidents
of life. He can open doors, solve issues, resolve problems and direct our paths so we
can confidently trust Him with all our heart. Because He is all-knowing and all-wise,
we should renounce our limited understanding and glean from His unlimited resource
of wisdom and understanding.
Third is Recognition. “In all your ways acknowledge Him.” We must be ever mindful
of Him and realize that He is in control and at work in all the events of life. To
recognize His sovereignty in all things has the sense of a first-hand knowledge that He
is good, loving, kind, gracious and concerned for us.

Lastly is Reward. “He shall direct your paths.” It is rewarding to trust in the Lord and
not ourselves. There is comfort not knowing the way ahead but knowing the one who
does which makes the words of the song “The Unseen Hand” very personal. He will
remove the obstacles from our pathway and bring us to His appointed goal. If we
acknowledge Him, give Him the proper recognition of praise and attention to His
word, then He will reward us according to His word guiding and directing us through
life and this difficult time.

Hobbie McCreary is pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Johnson City.

What does Proverbs 3:5-6 mean?

joshuainfantado / September 2, 2019

Do you want to know the deep and wonderful meaning of Proverbs 3:5-
6? If yes, then this blog is for you. Discover what it means and how it can
change your life today!
How can we understand Proverbs 3:5-6?

One of the most popular verses in the Book of Proverbs is Proverbs 3:5-6. In this passage we read:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

The problem with a popular verse is that we often forget what it really means. Sometimes, we can easily recite
Proverbs 3:5-6 prayer and throw it around without really taking the time to see its deep meaning. Thus, I strongly
believe that it is our Christian duty to study Proverbs 3 5 6 meaning and see how it applies in our lives today.
Proverbs 3:5-6 video presentation
Here’s a video that gives you a comprehensive and powerful explanation of Proverbs 3:5-6.

Proverbs 3:5-6 video presentation

Trust in the LORD with all your heart (Proverbs 3:5)

This verse alone is packed with so many life lessons that we should learn. Thus, let us dissect this verse and
understand what it really means.

What does it mean to trust?

Proverbs 3:5 opens up with the statement, “Trust the LORD.”

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Now, notice, this is not a request, but rather, it is a command. It is not something that is optional. It is mandatory.
What does it mean to trust? Google dictionary defines it as, “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of
someone or something.”

I believe Google’s definition of trust is a good place to start our understanding of what it means to trust God.

Trusting God means that we have complete confidence in His wisdom, power, and goodness. It is the firm belief of
God’s reliability, truth, ability, and strength, as Google puts it.
In Psalm 84:11, we read:

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

The Lord will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.
We trust God because we know that whatever He does and whatever happens in our lives, He is always in control.
Everything He does is for our own good even at times when we don’t understand.
That’s the level of trust that we must have. It should be unconditional. We don’t just trust God in good times,  but
also in the bad times.
It is easy to believe God when all things are going according to plan. The real test happens when things are falling
apart. When we don’t understand things, would we still trust God?
Yes, it is difficult to trust God when you don’t know what lies ahead. However, if you trust God, you will see once
you’re out of the darkness and into the light, you can look back and gain a better understanding. You will soon see
why things happened the way they are and all things will suddenly make sense.

As long as we trust God, we can count on Him that He will work all things together for good to those who love Him,
to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).
Do you like what you’re reading? If yes, read more inspiring articles like this when you subscribe to our website!

Who are we going to trust?

Now, who are we going to trust? It is the LORD.
But, who is the LORD?
LORD comes from the Tetragrammaton, YHWH.

Most scholars agree that this is pronounced as YAHWEH, which means the Eternal One. YAHWEH is the One who
was, who is, and who is to come. It is the personal name of God. It is the name God used to introduce Himself to
Moses and to distinguish Him from other false gods.

King Solomon, the author of Proverbs, says that we MUST trust NOT in any gods, but to the  TRUE GOD –
YAHWEH!
YAHWEH is the ever-living God. He is not dead. He is actively working in the lives of His people. He is the
SUPREME RULER of the entire universe. He is the most powerful Being who is not limited by time, matter, and
space.

Notice what the Prophet Isaiah has to say about God:

Remember the former things of old,

For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure,’
Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man who executes My counsel, from a far country.
Indeed I have spoken it;
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it;
I will also do it.
Do you see now the power and might of YAHWEH?

With this mind, wouldn’t it be logical that if ever you have to trust anyone, it should be God?

When you trust God, it means that you are trusting the most powerful Being who loves you and takes care of you
and you can’t get any better than that!

Related article: The Matthew 18 Principle: How to Deal with a Sinning Brother

How do you trust God?
We already know who should we trust and why we should trust God.

The next question is, “How do you trust God?”

Proverbs 3:5-6 sermon answers this question:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart.”

We need to trust YAHWEH with ALL our heart.

We need to trust God FULLY and COMPLETELY.

Our trust in God is not just 50%, 75%, and even 95%. But it must be 100%!
We must not doubt, fear, and worry.

We can’t trust God half-heartedly, but whole-heartedly.

Again, if you know why you are going to trust God, then you will have a better understanding of why you can have
the confidence to trust Him will all our hearts.

Lean not on your own understanding

After telling us what to do, King Solomon went on to explain what we must NOT do.

Now, that we are told to trust God, what must we do next? This is what we need to understand.

The word “lean” in Proverbs 3 5-6 devotion came from the word, “Shaw-an.” It basically means, to support one’s
self.
The Bible is telling us we must not lean or support ourselves by our own understanding. We must not simply rely on
how we see things. We must not simply believe what we see, think, and feel.

Proverbs 5:5-6 tells us that we must trust God above all things. We can’t trust in God and trust in ourselves at the
same time.
It is either you trust God or yourself. There’s no  middle ground.
It is a fatal mistake to trust in yourself, much more trusting your own understanding.

Jeremiah 17:9:

The heart is deceitful above all things,

And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?

You might have already heard the popular advice, “Just follow your heart.”

No, by all means, don’t.

Don’t follow your heart. Instead, follow God.

Our heart, which could also represent our limited understanding, is deceitful above all things. Why then should we
follow it, right?

It is true that as humans, we want to be in control. We crave for understanding, but sooner or later, we must accept
the fact that we can’t know everything.
We are finite. We are limited. We are fragile. We can only see things on the surface. We can only see the present.

Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
 So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

With this in mind, wouldn’t it be more logical to follow God instead? Surely, it is!

God can see the whole picture, while for us, we can only see a tiny corner of that picture.

To put it in another way, we can only see the tree, but God sees the forest.

Thus, don’t lean on your own understanding. What you see, feel, and believe could be wrong. But God is never
wrong. Our judgment could be flawed, but God’s understanding is perfect.
We might be worried about what the future holds, but God knows the future and He has already planned things out
for us.

Related book to read:

Walking in the Dark: Trusting God when life happens.

This book helps you understand what it really means to go through the valley of death and still trust God. It gives
you encouragement and comfort when life gets hard and it doesn’t make any sense. (Check this on Amazon.)
In all your ways acknowledge Him
Proverbs 3:6 tells us that we must acknowledge God in all our ways.

Notice, God expects us to do this always. We need to acknowledge Him in ALL our ways and not just some. We
can’t simply trust God in one area of our lives and not in others. We can’t rely on God when it comes to our careers
and not in our family.
That’s not how it works.

It says in ALL your ways and that’s exactly what it means. We trust and dedicate God in our physical, financial,
emotional, social, and spiritual life and all things in between.
But, what do you mean by acknowledging God?

Acknowledging God means to remember God in all the things you do. It means to recognize that He plays a major
role in your life. Acknowledging God means that you rely on Him and trust Him.
Before you make a plan in your life, you ask God’s will to be done in your life. You always seek God’s purpose
every time you make a decision. You don’t do any action without first seeking the counsel of God. You don’t ignore
Him but instead, you make Him your Partner in life, be it in your career, relationship, and personal life.
You might be interested in reading, “What does it mean to be a Salt of the Earth?“
And He shall direct your path
What happens then when you acknowledge God in all your ways?

God will then direct your path.

As you can see, God can’t direct your path if you don’t even seek His will and purpose in your life. He can’t teach
you His wisdom if you don’t even want to be taught.
When you have the willing heart to follow God, naturally, God can now better direct your path.
Yes, God is powerful, but He will NEVER force us to follow Him. He won’t shove His way of life in our throat. He
won’t treat us like robots.
In Deuteronomy 30:19, we read:

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and
cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.
God wishes nothing but good for us. We have a choice on how we must live our lives. We can either choose life or
death, blessing or cursing. God’s desire is for us to choose LIFE!
When we choose the right option, what will happen? He shall direct our paths.

The best thing about God directing our path is that we can have the confidence that the path we are treading is
leading to life. We don’t have to worry whether we are on the right track or not. As long as God is directing us, we
are in good hands.
Final words
This is the deep meaning of Proverbs 3:5-6 reflection. It is my sincerest desire that you now have a better insight on
what it means to trust God, not lean on your own understanding, acknowledging Him, and letting Him direct your
path.

========

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all
your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3: 5-6).

‍
Let's contemplate the words “trust in the Lord.”  You see, when we trust in something,
we are placing our security in that entity. For example, I absolutely trust my earthly
father, which means I have total and complete confidence in his integrity, ability, and
good character because I know him and have a relationship with him. I trust in him
because I know he will do what's best for me. However, is that the same level of trust I
am placing in my Heavenly Father?  

If I am being honest, I would admit that it is harder to trust God than it is man, even
though man will always let us down. Only God is perfectly trustworthy and faithful. Yet if
I do not take time to get to know Him, I will never come to trust Him.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart ” means placing our heart at the Lord’s feet. This
surrender leaves no room for our own anxiety or worry, but completely entrusts our
"being" to God's sovereignty. And as crazy as that may sound or even as scary as it
may be, the next part of this verse is necessary for the "trusting" to lead to "His holding."

You see, to "lean not on your own understanding” is to lean completely into the strong
arms of God's holding. It means to not rely on ourselves, essentially letting go of what
we think we know and letting God take the helm of what He perfectly knows.

“In all your ways acknowledge Him":  not some ways or some days, but always with all
our ways. This means to admit the existence, reality, and trustworthiness of God. To
 acknowledge Him as Lord over our world and to give Him full access to sit on the throne
of our hearts. There and only there can He begin to govern our walk.

“And He will direct your paths." He will begin to establish our steps and lead us where
He needs us.

With all that being said and explained, I don't want to just be able to recite God's Word, I
want to be incited by God's Word. I don't want to just quote it verbally, I want my life to
quote the Truth of God's Word visually. It begins with trust and ends with Him. Trusting
Him. Period.

Following God's Plan for Your Life:

1. Be in prayer. A way to know that you are following God's plan for your life is by being in
prayer. ...
2. Be actively reading in the Word. ...
3. Follow the commands He puts on your heart. ...
4. Seek a godly community. ...
5. Obey the Truth.
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