The Big Picture
Hello All,
In my daily quiet time, I was reading the book of Proverbs this morning. Proverbs is known as the book of wisdom and I am certainly needing some wisdom in my life right now with several different issues going on.
Today’s reading had me in Proverbs chapter 3. I was struck by Proverbs 3:5-6 which states: “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 straight your paths” (ESV).
I know verse five is quoted a lot throughout social media as an affirmation, which is great, but I was more struck by how verse 6 starts, “In all your ways acknowledge Him.” Verse five is amazing and does bring a sense of peace in many situations. But in my opinion, (and please feel free to correct me if I am wrong) we cannot trust God with all our heart if we do not acknowledge Him in everything.
As I was reading these verses this morning, I did jot down a couple thoughts. Verse five brought to mind how God’s plan and way will always be better than mine. His understanding of every situation will always be greater than mine. As believers we should be bringing God into our lives, we need to bring Him into whatever we are facing.
Throughout the Bible we are told that God is with us in all circumstances. When I am facing a problem, I have two options: acknowledge His presence in the situation or try to handle it on my own. Let me tell you I have tried to handle too many situations on my own and guess what? It never works.
I am currently going through some tough situations with work that really could have negative or positive impacts. Everything with the situation is up in the air and I have been trying to figure out if I am handling it correctly and doing what needs to be done. Deep down I believe I am doing the right thing for everyone that is involved in the situation. But every time those doubts creep in and before I take action, I am trying to remember to bring God into the process. I am praying every time I think of the situation, praying every time that I have a meeting or anything else regarding the situation.
The biggest revelation I had while reading these verses was that God knows the big picture and I do not. All I can see are the things happening at this instant, but God already knows the beginning, middle, and end. I don’t even know which stage I’m at in regard to beginning, middle, or end. God sees the big picture, and I see my current circumstances. Knowing God already has a plan and already has it figured out is comforting. All I have to do is pray and follow God’s lead.
I say “all”, but I think we know that praying and following God’s prompting can be difficult, even when it isn’t within our constructed plan. I always struggle to discard my plan in place of God’s but every time I do, it works out better for me.
So, for this week, I will try my hardest to live by these two verses by 1) trusting God 2) leaning on Him, not my own mind 3) Acknowledge His presence in every circumstance.
By doing these three things I know my week will be better and my heart and mind will feel lighter.
Much love,
Victoria