Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Even though we actually walk by the faith of Jesus (which is an entirely different lesson), which is faith without measure, a number of us struggle to completely walk by faith. Why? One reason ties in with our opening Scripture: leaning on our own understanding. For the most part, some walk by faith to the degree it fits in with their understanding. They will only go as far as they can see; even though, we walk by faith; not by sight (see 2 Corinthians 5:7). Instead of looking to God, they look to the how. In other words, if they don’t see how it’s going to work, they get stuck in doubt. As long as you try to use human reason to walk by faith, you won’t be able to do it. Say this in the mirror: “It’s God; not how!”
Some are afraid to look ridiculous, so when God asks them to do something out of the ordinary, they begin to reason as to what others might think about it. The problem is they value the opinion of man more than the opinion of God Who made man. That means their walk of faith is only as solid as to how much others will approve. When reading the Bible, have you ever asked yourself, “Would I do that?” Imagine the Lord asking you to do some of the things you’ve read about. In the natural, a lot of what you read would look ridiculous, especially when you don’t have the advantage of being able to read the results before you act. It’s one thing to say, “I’d do that” when you already know the end of the story. What about when you don’t? What then? Remember, those you read about, did not have the advantage of having a Bible to read before they obeyed. God knows the ending even before the beginning. Will you trust Him with the end, even if you don’t know exactly what it is or the journey there? The Lord may give you a promise, but more than likely, He will not show you how it will come to pass. For the most part, it will be hearing, then obeying what He said. It’s funny how people will trust a little man-made electronic device to get them where they’re going. They’ll obey a GPS’s every command, but they have a hard time putting the car in “D” (drive) when the Lord says, “Go there.” Then when He says, “Wait here,” they put the car in “D.” Of course, that’s as effective as putting it in “R” (reverse) when it is time to move forward. In some cases, they never get into the car, let alone put the key in the ignition switch because there does not seem to be a clear direction. Unlike a GPS that occasionally gets it wrong, God is never wrong –even when it appears you’re going in the wrong direction. You don’t have to know how or even where exactly you’re going; you simply have to know God.
Perhaps that’s a bigger issue: knowing Him. How much do you trust people you don’t know very well? The more you know someone, the more you will trust him or her –for the most part. That requires time spent. The more time you spend with God, the better you will know Him, and recognize His voice and leading. Hearing His voice is a prerequisite for walking by faith (see Romans 10:17). When you know Father’s heart, it will be easier to trust what He says to you. A small child simply obeys his parent’s voice without question, because of absolute trust. He doesn’t have to know why nor understand how things work. He simply does what he’s told. When you absolutely trust the Lord, you will simply obey Him, regardless of your understanding or lack thereof. The bottom line is that if you have to figure it out before you obey, you will never go anywhere by faith.
