The Rich Blessings of God are Found in Surrendering Control
I sat in my chair, coffee cup in hand, reading God’s Word and I felt small. I didn’t feel small in the sense of feeling protected and cared for by the vast resources of a God who deeply loved me. I felt small because I felt unnoticed, overlooked, a wallflower that blended in with the background. I sat there with an aching heart because I longed to be seen.
Have you been there? Have you sat with scriptural head knowledge about God’s love, God’s provision, God’s wisdom and care, and still felt at a loss? We voice a Christian-ese answer in those moments and declare “trust Him.” I’m sure I’ve said it to others, knowing it was the acceptable answer, and yet not an emotionally fulfilling answer.
We too quickly second-guess the ideas and opinions of others when they don’t act or respond in ways we would choose. Moreover, we don’t reply to God any differently. When God allows difficult circumstances in our lives, we want to know why. If God challenges us to step out in faith, we barter for more assurance before submitting. If God’s wisdom feels confusing or out of the ordinary, we hold off our obedience seeking clarity from outside sources.
Trust in the Lord
In Proverbs 3:5, Solomon reminds us to completely rely on God with confidence and expectation when he states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” When we first read the verse, trusting God seems like a no-brainer. He is the Creator of all things, the Sovereign Lord, and King of Kings, after all. Paul tells us in Romans 11:33, “Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways!”
In addition to trusting God because He is GOD, there is also the truth of our limited understanding which we discussed in last week’s blog. We don’t know enough to figure everything out. In fact, Solomon begins Proverbs three by reminding his reader not to forget what God teaches, obeying His commands, because we believe He is who He says He is.
Trust is Tricky
Trust is a tricky thing. For example, I used to believe I was safe going for a walk. I trusted my ability to protect myself and to know how to manage any unforeseen circumstance. However, my belief came crashing in when I was surrounded and attacked by a group of dogs. Even though I trust my sweet Pastor husband to protect me, my fear rises astronomically when he suggests a nice evening stroll.
We get in the way of our ability to trust. Nevertheless, I discovered trusting God is the second of three truths in Proverbs three. First, we must accept we have limited understanding, and second, we must trust God completely.
Surrender Control
Merriam-Webster defines trust as “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; one in which confidence is placed.” When we choose to trust someone, we release control. Of course, we wrestle with allowing someone else to be in charge, even if that someone is God Himself.
Solomon teaches us three things to release in our process of surrendering control to God in Proverbs 3:1-12. Each item we release, God replaces with something greater.
Release the Goal of Prosperity
First, we must release our goal of prosperity (Proverbs 3:1-2). In the first two verses of Proverbs three, we are instructed to focus on God’s commands because we will gain longer life, along with peace and prosperity. It sounds like the ideal trade off!
We must remember, trust is a tricky thing, and we like control. We read Proverbs 3:1-2 and figure we can manipulate the system. We buy into the go to church, work hard, and be nice to our neighbor bit until life goes wonky. Then we wonder why God isn’t holding up His end of the bargain with peace and prosperity.
Peace and Completeness
The word translated prosperity in the NIV is salom, which is very similar in meaning to the word shalom. Salom means completeness, soundness, welfare and/or peace. Solomon teaches us when we reverence God and consequently obey Him, our lives become complete or finished because who we were missing has been restored. In His goodness and love, God provides peace concerning our health, our emotional state, and our environmental well-being. The Holy Spirit enables us to shift our focus away from our circumstances and toward Him.
God never promised we would live without struggle. We read scripture passages and interpret them to mean we will be financially well-off, live with good health, and get along well with others. Unfortunately, since our understanding is limited, our interpretation isn’t necessarily true. Jesus clearly stated in John 16:33, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart because I have overcome the world.” (Italics mine for emphasis.)
Release the Goal of Influence
Second, we must release our goal of influence (Proverbs 3:3-4). Proverbs 3:4 informs us there is a way to “find favor and high regard with God and people.” (CSB) We all like to be liked. Additionally, in our current culture with social media influencers, we are drawn to the idea we can impact our world with some fun photos and reels, or with our own personal insight and catchy phrases.
We must look at Proverbs 3:3 to learn how we find favor. Solomon writes, “Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.” Solomon clarifies we gain favor by being loyal and faithful. Unfortunately, we miss what Solomon is fully saying, because the words loyal and faithful sound like the same idea.
Loyal and Faithful
The Amplified version of Proverbs 3:3 says, “Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you [instead let these qualities define you]…” The Passion Translation reads, “Hold on to loyal love and don’t let go, and be faithful to all that you’ve been taught. Let your life be shaped by integrity with truth written upon your heart.”
The actual Hebrew words used in Proverbs 3:3 echo a verse in Exodus 34:6 that describes God. “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness.” (NET).
The word translated loyal love is the Hebrew word hesed which means love, generosity, and enduring commitment. The word translated faithful is the word emet which means “that’s truth,” and connects with the ideas of reliability and stability. (thebibleproject.com. Character of God series. Episodes 5 and 6)
Solomon isn’t pulling random ideas out of his imagination. He is referring directly back to the Israelites understanding of God. We are not to be concerned with impressing others. We are to be committed to imitating the character of God, looking to honor the One and Only Lord of Lords. When we do, we experience God’s favor.
Release the Goal of Importance
Finally, we must release our goal of importance (Proverbs 3:5-7). Proverbs 3:6 instructs us to acknowledge God in all we do. Proverbs 3:7 guides us to not be wise in our own eyes. The idea to acknowledge God seems strange. Do we just continually confess, “God did it, not me”? Yes, but no.
Allow me to give you yet another Hebrew word and definition. The original word translated acknowledge is the word yada. This word means to know, learn to know; to perceive and see, find out and discern; to discriminate, distinguish; to know by experience.
Solomon teaches us to familiarize ourselves more and more with who God is through everything we do. When we deal with a relational issue, we study and learn how Jesus dealt with people. If we deal with health issues, we get to know how God considers our body. When we encounter a tough decision, we examine Christ’s priorities. If we have down time to relax, we consider what delights our Heavenly Father.
God’s Blessings
I mentioned earlier we are releasing control so that we can trust God completely. I also told you as we surrender control to God, He blesses us with something greater.
- When we release our goal of prosperity, aiming for obedience instead, God blesses us with His unexplainable peace. As our creator, God knows what will restore our spirits to the wholeness He designed. As we trust Christ, we experience how He generously provides.
- When we release our goal of influence, we seek to imitate the character of God. We live out loyal love to others, firmly standing in integrity and truth. God blesses us with His favor; we live in the security of being welcomed and wanted in the presence of the King of Kings.
- When we release our goal of importance, we discover the thrill of intimately knowing our Creator. We identify and experience God more, glorifying Him and not ourselves, realizing our satisfaction is found in wondrous intimacy with Him.
God is Trustworthy
Trust is a tricky thing, and we often get in the way of our ability to trust. We may struggle on emotionally difficult days when we feel overwhelmed or small, but God is always trustworthy. He never changes. His wisdom is greater, His love is faithful, His strength is more than enough, and His presence provides what our Spirit longs for most.
“Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes His unfailing love on those who love Him and obey His commands.” Deuteronomy 7:9 NLT
Trust Photo by Ronda Dorsey on Unsplash
