The Weekly Word - A Devotion for the Week of January 13
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
-- Proverbs 3:5
Each of us will undoubtedly face significant hardship in our lifetime – the loss of a loved one, a frightening diagnosis, financial insecurity, fractured relationships. Like the Israelites who wandered for 40 years in the wilderness, we too will walk through seasons that will leave us imploring, “Why, God? Why?”
Why did she die?
Why did I lose my job?
Why is my child rebelling against me?
Why does my path seem to be leading nowhere?
Lost and unafraid, we might be tempted to lean on our own understanding, to take matters into our own hands. And yet, we know from the Israelites’ experience that turning inward toward ourselves rather than outward toward God only leads us farther astray.
It is especially during these most difficult wilderness seasons that we are called to trust in our God – to reach into the deepest parts of our hearts and souls, grab hold of that trust and cling to it with all our might.
We accept that God’s ways are beyond our limited understanding. We acknowledge that we may never hear the answer to our “Why?” But we also believe that He who placed the stars in the sky not only has infinite power and understanding, but also infinite love for us.
God asks us to trust that though we may not see proof of it in the moment, He guides our way. He holds our lives tenderly in His hands, and He loves us more than we can possibly comprehend.
Heavely Father, help me trust You when I am wandering, weak and afraid. Help me let go of my tendency to rely on myself and surrender to Your infinitely greater power. Amen.