As a young man I thought I hit on a fool-proof way to stamp the Lord’s approval on my areas of interest. I hatched my plan from this passage in Proverbs:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

My interpretation? If I trust God, he will carve paths straight to where I want to go in life. If I do this for God, then he is obligated to do that for me. It felt like a lever to move the Almighty.

I approach God this way because I interact with people this way. I lean toward others to help them, but at times also subtly maneuvering them toward my desires. This heart of deceit is as old as the serpent whispering to Eve, who manipulated Adam, who tried to hide from the Lord.

Proverbs also says your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines your paths. My game of quid pro quo with the Lord yielded unintended consequences. In the original plan, I carved the path and the Lord blessed it. As things worked out, the Lord directed me along paths of his choosing. And you know what? I’m so happy he did.

All along I meant to follow paths to peace and prosperity. However, those roads actually belong to God, and they require a toll—submission to the Lord. Not simply a head nod, but deep acknowledgement of the Lord’s kingship over me.

It’s the wisest decision you’ll ever make, and once that’s settled you can wander his paths and enjoy the journey laid before you.

Proverbs 3 & 5 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Patrick Fore