Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT.) This is one of the Bibles most familiar verses. Unfortunately, our understanding can be clouded by life’s circumstances and our limited perspective of the future.

The word “trust,” as used here, implies confidence or security in something solid or secure. Simply stated, we can put our confidence or security in the Lord because we know that He can be trusted. That’s exactly why Hebrews 11:1 says that trust, or our faith in God has “substance” even though we cannot see beyond our surrounds. Our God is real – and He is certainly all-powerful, and He is absolutely loving. We can absolutely trust Him. He has substance. His Word and His promises are secure. We can and do put our trust in Him.
The word “heart” in v5 refers to the control centre of the whole person the centre of our will, mind, and feelings. When someone uses the phrase “with all your heart” it means there is no more room for anyone or anything else. A young man may say that to the object of his supreme regard on earth and it would mean there is no room for anyone else. You are the object of God’s supreme regard on earth. But He is the infinite God, with an infinite capacity. That’s the focus of the statement, “trusting the Lord with all your heart.” It means that we have put our faith and trust alone in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We have given Him His rightful claim to the throne of our lives and there is no room for anyone or anything else to have that place in our lives.

“And lean not on your own understanding” helps us understand the real implications of the word “all.” If we are giving the Lord complete command over our lives, then we won’t rely or depend on our “own understanding.” We will trust in Him for everything and not try to figure things out or make things work on our own.

Believe in the resurrected Lord with all your heart, trust Him with everything you have or are going through. Stay close to Him in the darkness and He will “show you the path.” Eternity is just beyond the valley.