"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and LEAN NOT on your own understanding" @ApricotJam - how are you? I think the key word In the 2nd half of this proverb is to LEAN, like a walking stick. There is much we will never understand in life, or realise later that our understanding of a situation was incomplete. And our emotions and experiences cloud perceptions... so it's important we don't lean solely on our mind. But we can lean on & trust the Lord who loves us, instead of the confusing details life so often shoves in our face. This is faith, to lift our eyes higher and above the quagmire to God's unshakable Kingdom. It's hard, more days than others, but i do better when I make a conscious effort each day to pray & sit with the Lord. Sometimes to calm & centre myself for prayerful meditation, i need to incorporate breathing meditation mindfulness first while i pray. I can relax enough to open up enough to the light and love of the Holy Spirit, who's just waiting to be invited and heal us. Then we learn to trust more when things go wrong. It's a daily discipline, I have to work at, but it helps.
The story I wanted to tell you about Proverbs 5:3 was when the Holy Spirit first revealed to me the second part. It was when I was hospitalized during my first breakdown in my mid 20's I went from well known gospel singer to self harming and suicidal in 6months. In hospital I was surrounded by distressed people seeingvthings that weren't there, and others having conversations with the television and staff too scared to come out of their fishbowl, and aggressives threatening mevifvi didn't give them a smoke (which I didn't have). I was alone, and couldn't understand what was happening to me, why, how, and i pleeded in prayer "please God help me understand what's happening, why, so maybe i can fix this, please help me understand what's happening to me...". It was then, in prayer, the Holy Spirit brang this scripture to mind - "trust me, not your understanding" i realised that I DIDN'T HAVE TO UNDERSTAND IT TO GET THROUGH IT, While sitting alone in that place, talking to God,, a great calm came over me, and I've never forgotten it.
Probably sounds simple to most people but really powerful for me, to know the Lord was with me on that ward, where my family were too embarrassed to come visit and where a church leader said was filled with demonic spirits(aand never came back). I was scared, but the Lord was greater. and got me through that 4monrhs.
There's another vese from Job 13:15 "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him"
"His ways are higher than mine" Is 55.8
Hope this makes sense.
I'd not be here if not for my faith, that my sin is atoned for, im forgiven, atoned for, loved and forever, no matter what ✝️🛐
