Jessica Albritton, Family Connections Minister, LHBC
Proverbs 3:5-8
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
Have you ever been so overwhelmed with sadness and grief that it left you crippled? I know I have experienced seasons in my life where the pain of life felt too much to bear. In times like this I have always appreciated God’s Word and the honest raw emotion it holds. The Bible is a book all about hope from cover to cover but it holds some pretty dark stuff. It’s refreshing to know that the Bible never shies away from hard topics such as hurt, despair, depression and loss. It is not some self-help book, not a 3 easy steps to your best life kind of publication. It’s a true story about real people with real issues and reveals the One True Savior that is the only hope we have for redemption. Romans 15:13 tells us, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” That hope has a name and His name is Jesus! In Jesus we find healing from the hurt that this broken world leaves in the wake of sin.
Proverbs 3 is a beautiful reminder for all believers to trust in the Lord with our whole hearts and to lean on Him! I know for me, when facing trials or hurt in my own life my natural response is to sort it out logically. I want to make a list, I need it to all make sense, I try and understand the what, why, and how. But scripture advises otherwise. Scripture leads us to turn to Jesus and lean on Him and in doing so our path is made straight. The funny thing is, the Bible never says that the straight path will be easy. In fact, the straight path we are called to follow is often a very difficult one because it goes completely opposite of what the world encourages.
So often we associate an easy going life with God’s favor, but as believers we can rest assured that God is within all circumstances, good and bad. He is with us, He cares for us deeply, His presence is always there. In fact some of the sweetest times of feeling God’s presence the most has been a result of the valley, not the mountain top. We may enjoy God on the mountain tops, but we get to intimately know Him in the valleys.
How about you? Are you on the mountain top? He is there. Are you in the valley? He is there too. There’s not a place in this whole world that He is not. Look around and you can see the works of His hands, the evidence of His grace, mercy, and peace! Give your situation to the Lord and lean on His understanding. Walk the straight path and find healing and refreshment.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Heavenly Father, You are so good to us! I praise You for the love You show in every situation! God, thank You for being with us on the mountain top as well as in the valley! Lord, when I have the tendency to rely on my own logic, help me to rest in You and lean on Your wisdom and trust that You have everything under control, even when I feel like my whole world is falling apart! In Jesus name, amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.