Proverbs to Live By –Trust in the Lord

“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 (KJV).

On January 10 these two verses were the focus of the devotional I wrote for that day entitled “A Well-Placed Trust.”  In it I told about how this is a much-memorized verse and many people (including myself) have adopted this proverb as what we call “life verses”—or verses to quote often and seek to live by.  Notice that the trust in God is to be with “all thine heart,” wholly, completely.  God is reliable and so we can rely on Him.  The essence of trust is to recognize who God is and to depend on Him to supply whatever it is we need.  This does not preclude our working or putting forth effort.  It does mean that we recognize God for who he is and know ourselves as weak and incompetent without His overarching care and provision.  “In You our fathers trusted; they trusted, and You delivered them.  To You they cried and were rescued; in You they trusted and were not put to shame.” (Psalm 22:4-, ESV). For meditation, I give you this poem I wrote which, I think, exemplifies the trust we need to have in God.

In the Chapel of My Heart

“It is not needful always to be in church with God.  We make a chapel of our heart.” –Brother Lawrence

“Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk.” –Psalm 143:8.

This early hour is a time to worship,

To draw apart from the rush and din;

To enter the quiet chapel of awareness

And call upon the Lord again.

My Lord and I meet in this chapel;

Whatever the hour, He is already here.

In this time and place He meets me

And gives me grace to banish fear.

Although the future seems uncertain,

Its challenges stretching as a dark cloud;

In this quiet chapel God’s holy presence

Is certain, ‘though He does not speak aloud.

In calm assurance His Spirit guides me

To know that His sufficiency covers every day;

And from this chapel in my heart

I find direction in God’s way.

At whatever time I need a boost in strength,

Regardless of the problem, large or small;

Or just to go aside to praise Him,

How reassuring when on God’s name I call.

                                                -Ethelene Dyer Jones