Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5 famously says, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” There are two key words, the first word and the last word in that verse. The words are “trust” and “understanding.”
Many times in our minds we put those two words as opposites. You either trust God or you understand things for yourself. But to be sure, this is not primarily a contrast between faith and understanding. It is a contrast between your understanding and God’s understanding. The next verse says, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” How is God equipped to direct my path? God can see farther and better than I ever could.
So this is not a contrast between faith and understanding; either I trust God or I understand. No, this is a contrast between God’s understanding and yours. The question you have to ask yourself is, “Who has more understanding, me or God?”
Verse 19 says, “The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; and by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.” God spoke this universe into existence. He fully comprehends the past, the present, and the future, something none of us can lay claim to. So, we trust the God Who knows everything.
Hebrews 11 says, “Through faith we understand.” How do I obtain understanding? I obtain it through faith. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” In other words, faith is not an opposite to understanding, faith is the path to understanding. It is how I obtain it.
The Bible says I am to acknowledge God. I am not to lean on my own understanding. Leaning on my own understanding, as finite and flawed as it is, is like leaning on a rotten branch over a steep hillside. It is foolish at the best. I am to acknowledge God.
The bottom line is that God knows everything and I know almost nothing. But, I do know God. I know God; God knows everything. Today, if you want understanding, if you want the wisdom to negotiate life beyond the parameters of what you can see, understand, and know on your own, then trust God. Don’t lean on your own understanding. God will direct your paths with knowledge that is infinitely better and greater than anything you could possess on your own.