Author Ray Pritchard states in his book, Discovering God’s Will for Your Life, “Nothing is more comforting to the child of God than knowing that amid the confusion of everyday life God is slowly leading him or her along the path of his will. In fact, he (God) is working in and through your decisions (and often in spite of your decisions) to see that his will is actually done in your life.”
Mr. Pritchard, references Proverbs 3:5-6 in chapter five – How to Make a Tough Decision and highlights five words:
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Trust |
To trust in the Lord is to rest your whole weight upon him – to depend on him completely.
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Lean |
To lean means to rest upon something for partial support or when you are not strong enough to stand alone.
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Understanding |
Understanding refers to mental process by which you analyze a problem. Use all your mental powers, but do not lean on them for total support. Don’t trust in your own ability to figure out your life. Lean instead on the Lord. Rest your weight on him.
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Acknowledge |
In all your ways know him deeply and intimately. It’s the kind of knowing that comes with personal experience. It means to know something through and through.
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Direct |
He will make your straight your paths. |
So, then, according to Mr. Pritchard (emphasis mine), “Here is God’s message to you from Proverbs 3:5-6. If you will know God in every area of your life, he will take personal responsibility to make your way smooth and straight. He will remove the obstacles if they need to be removed. He will fill in the pot-holes if they need to be filled. He will redirect the detour so that what seemed to be a dead-end turns out to be the shortest way to reach your destination.”
However, if I look at Proverbs 3:5-6 in the context of the chapter, I come to a different conclusion. The NIV Topical Bible I use has the third chapter of Proverbs under the heading of “Further Benefits of Wisdom”. In addition, if I look at the headings of chapters one through four, I see:
Chapter 1:20-33 Warning Against Rejecting Wisdom
Chapter 2:1-22 Moral Benefits of Wisdom
Chapter 3:1-35 Further Benefits of Wisdom
Chapter 4:1-27 Wisdom Is Supreme
Also, Proverbs 3:5-6 are squarely in the middle of a bunch of verses that relate to various aspects of wisdom. The NIV Topical Bible has a “theme verse” related to Proverbs 3:5 entitled, “Direction” which states:
- The book of Proverbs offers direction for life by concentrating on those patterns operable in daily life that offer some measure of consistency. For example, fearing God and shunning evil produces a healthy body. Hard work brings rewards, whereas laziness courts disaster. Consistent discipline of a child results in a well-adjusted adult. Pride and arrogance lead to destruction. The wicked die young while law-abiding citizens (the righteous) live long. There may be exceptions to these rules, but generally we can depend on them.
I can only surmise that the people who produced the NIV Topical Bible did not see anything within Proverbs 3:5-6 related to:
- God taking a personal responsibility
- God making one’s way smooth and straight
- God removing obstacles
- God filling in “pot-holes”
- God redirecting detours
- God ensuring that we reach our destinations via the shortest way
In addition, Proverbs 3:1-10 are arranged in pairs i.e. 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, and 9-10.
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Verses |
If you – |
Then – |
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1-2 |
Do not forget my teaching |
You’ll live long and prosperous |
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3-4 |
Let love and faithfulness never leave you |
You’ll win favor and a good name |
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5-6 |
Trust in the Lord with all your heart |
He’ll make your paths smooth |
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7-8 |
Are humble, fear the Lord, and shun evil |
You’ll be healthy |
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9-10 |
Honor the Lord with your wealth |
You’ll have plenty |
Certainly, we can come up with exceptions to these “rules”. And that’s the point! These are not absolute statements! They’re generalities! The founder of The Navigators, Dawson Trottman, did not have a long life. And yet, when I read his bibliography, it’s clear that he didn’t forget the teachings of the Bible. And certainly his paths weren’t always smooth even though he trusted in the Lord with all his heart.
Mr. Pritchard uses a number of OT references i.e. Ex 13:20-22 and Num 9:15-23 to show how God used supernatural events and did indeed guide people. The question for me, then, is can one use a singular historical event denoted in Scripture to ascertain a general mode in which God shows His will to all Christians. Mr. Pritchard goes on to state that the secret of knowing God’s personal and specific will for each believer is to know God better. For myself, I believe that any decision I make, so long as it is within the moral will of God, is pleasing and acceptable to God. Perhaps I’ll post another time of my reaction to reading Gary Friesen’s book, Decision Making and the Will of God.
Martin's Mercurial Musings 