By Sheila Barnett
“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)
Once again, the loud blare from my boat’s horn pierced through the stillness of the air around me – and that was my intention. Caught in thick fog, I was sounding the horn every minute to alert other vessels of my boat’s position in the area. I was navigating from the San Juan Islands to Anacortes when an unexpected fog bank descended, obscuring all vision past the front of the bow. Unable to see any land, I slowed the boat’s speed to a crawl and relied on the only navigation tool I had – a compass.
Using a compass in the fog can be tricky. My own sense of direction had me convinced that the boat was constantly drifting off course. The compass, however, told me which direction I was truly moving. In order to find my way to shore, I had to ignore my own instincts and completely trust my compass to guide me in the right direction.
As followers of Jesus, we learn from the Bible to trust in God’s Word as our spiritual compass. Second Timothy 3:16 (NLT) says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” If we depend on our own understanding of truth and on our own instincts when making decisions, we can drift away from God’s plan for our lives.
According to Bible scholars, most of the book of Proverbs was written by King Solomon. In chapter 3, verse 5, Solomon is urging his son to trust in the Lord, not in his own understanding. Trusting in the Lord does not mean that everything will always work out the way we want it to. Nor does it mean we will always receive all the answers that we are looking for. However, trusting in the Lord does mean that we know He is in control, that He sees the whole picture of our lives, and that He will use whatever happens to us for our ultimate good.
In Proverbs 3, verse 6 advises us to find God’s will for our lives and follow His direction. Seeking God’s will in all our ways means aligning everything we do with God’s truths and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us on the path that God has for our lives. In order for this to happen, we need to be obedient to God and do what we know to be right, according to His Word.
We all have times in our lives of clear skies and times when we are stuck in the fog. Regardless of the circumstances, trusting in the Lord and using His Word as our compass is the best way to stay on God’s course for our lives.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, help me to trust in You and seek Your will as I navigate through this life, knowing that in Your perfect timing, You are faithful to show me the best path to take.