The Path To Wellness - Proverbs 3:5-8

Jul 8, 2020 | by Mike Prah

THE PATH TO WELLNESS - Proverbs 3:5-8

Bible Study

Pastor Mike Prah

Summary

The grace of God is demonstrated by the fact that He has a plan and purpose for our lives that He wants to reveal to us. It’s a pathway He’s designed specifically for each one of us, yet some of us may fail to consider this. We move through life without giving God a second thought. Instead of wondering whether our lives have counted for anything, we can choose to believe that the Lord has the best plan for us, discover His path, and get on it as soon as possible.

If we don’t fully trust God, we will be reluctant to follow the path He’s chosen for us.

Even though He always leads us the right way, our fears or uncertainty could cause us to sidestep His commands and opt for following our own course. Proverbs 3:5-8 tells us what’s required to follow the Lord and what the benefits will be.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. 8 It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.” Proverbs 3:5-8 NKJV

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding” (v. 5).

1. GOD COMMANDS US TO TRUST HIM

“Trust in the Lord” Prov. 3:5a NKJV

Trust is a strong belief in someone’s integrity, ability, and character. This is the kind of confidence we are to have in the Lord. Then whatever He says or requires of us, we will know with certainty that it is right.
If we lack trust, we won’t follow Him and will find ourselves living outside the will of God.
On the other hand, if we’ve spent a lifetime trusting and obeying Him, we can testify that He has never let us down.

Trusting God, is loving God in action. If we love God, we will trust Him.

“Loving God means keeping his commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.” 1 John 5:3 NLT

“In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And His commands are not burdensome.” I John 5:3 NIV

2. THE BASIS FOR TRUST IN GOD IS HIS SOVEREIGNITY.

“Trust in the LORD” Proverbs 3:5b NKJV

LORD = YAHWEH. The One Who Is. The Absolute and Unchangeable One. The Existing, Ever-Living, Self-Consistent and Unchangeable God.
He is the divine Ruler over all things and all people at all times.
His sovereignty is His wisdom, power, and righteousness all wrapped into one.
The Lord’s purpose is always right and good even if it doesn’t look that way from our perspective.

God says: “From the beginning I revealed the end. From long ago I told you things that had not yet happened, saying, “My plan will stand, and I’ll do everything I intended to do.” Isaiah 46:10 GN

“From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.” Isaiah 43:13 NLT

“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 NIV

3. THE DEGREE TO WHICH WE ARE TO TRUST GOD IS WITH ALL OF OUR HEART.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart” Prov. 3:5b NKJV

Instead of relying on our own knowledge, perception, or reasoning, we should put our total trust in the Lord.

This requires more than just agreeing with Him. We can actually agree with God about many teachings in the Bible without actually trusting Him. Agreement means we believe something is right, but genuine faith responds to that belief with action—we do what God says because we trust Him to guide us the right way.

Wholehearted trust also means we can’t pick and choose areas we entrust to Him while trying to keep other parts of our lives under our control. It’s unwise to rely on our own perception because it is so limited, but God’s understanding is complete and eternal. Even when we don’t comprehend or like what’s happening, we can still rely on His loving wisdom and respond in trust.

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” Proverbs 3:6 NKJV

4. IN EACH SITUATION, WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE GOD

“In all your ways acknowledge Him” Prov 3:6a NKJV

To acknowledge someone is to recognize him. But when we acknowledge God, we are not merely admitting that He exists but confirming that He is our Lord who has authority over us and the right to give us direction in every area of our lives.

In each choice or situation, we acknowledge Him by surrendering to His will and trusting Him fully.

5. “HE WIIL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT.” Prov 3:6b NKJV

When we follow the Lord’s guidance, He protects us from side roads and eliminates obstacles and confusion along the way.
In basic terms, the straight path is the one of obedience. We may stumble along the way or need redirection, but God repeatedly brings us back when we have a heart to obey Him.
His path isn’t always easy, but it’s always the best. When we think we can do a better job of plotting our own course for happiness and prosperity, it may look good for a while, but eventually we’ll suffer the wear and tear that comes from taking unprotected detours.

After instructing us on what to do, God then gives us a warning for disobedience and a blessing for obedience

6. “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil” Prov 3:7a NKJV

“Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them.” Proverbs 26:12 NIV

Whenever we choose our own way instead of trusting the Lord, we are playing the fool because your life does not belong to you. There are 2 masters in life

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” Matthew 6:24 NKJV

One day we are going to stand before God and give an account of how we lived.

If we’re wise, we’ll seek the Lord, listen to His directions, and trust Him. Since He cannot lie, we know that God will always keep His promises, and whatever He says is true.

7. “Fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.” Prov 3:7b NKJV

To fear God is to recognize and honor Him as not only the sovereign Ruler of the universe, but the Lord and Master of our lives.

If we truly believe this, we’ll turn away from sin and seek to live in obedience to Him.

8. “It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones” Prov 3:8a NKJV

Every day we are faced with a variety of choices, and what we decide to do is based on whether we believe God, that He has a plan for our lives and has chosen the best possible path for us, or we distrust Him and follow our own ways.

If we’re willing to listen and trust Him, we’ll discover that His path leads to healing and refreshment.
There will be an underlying sense of peace, assurance, confidence, and satisfaction when we follow Him instead of going our own way.

Response

Where do you find the most difficulty trusting God?
Why do you think it’s so hard to trust Him with this?
What promises in His Word could bring you assurance of His trustworthiness?
Does knowing God is sovereign over all the events in your life help you trust Him? Why or why not? Which of His other attributes motivate you to trust Him?
It’s easier to trust someone we know very well than someone we don’t. With this in mind, how well do you know the Lord?
Since the Scriptures are God’s self-revelation, what do you need to do to increase your trust in Him?