One of the most recognizable passages of Scripture in many Christian bookstores is Prov. 3:5-6.  There are untold thousands of promotional/inspirational products boasting these verses.

From posters, to coffee mugs, to calendars, to pens, to t-shirts, to mouse pads, and really to anything that a) can be printed on and b) people will actually buy, there is no shortage of contemporary Christian merchandise that feature these verses.  (Want proof?  Click here and here.)

If you’re unable to recall from memory what this couplet of verses actually says, or perhaps are but just don’t remember the reference, here it is in the Amplified Bible’s rendering:

“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.  In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.”

I preached on this passage last night at my church.  My goal was to challenge the status quo of modern church culture which often only gives these verses value of an inspirational nature—that is, that it should inspire us or encourage us.

Instead, I made the point that the writer confronts us in no uncertain terms to consider our lives and to know that we have a very present and pressing choice to make: either we will place our trust in God (”trust in the Lord with all your heart”), or will we place our trust in ourselves (”rely…on our own understanding.”)

I listed several reasons why we should place our trust in God and several reasons why we should not place it in ourselves.

Why God?

• God is all-knowing.
• God is all-powerful.
• God is all-present.
• God is all-loving.
• And in all of these things…God is completely faithful and trustworthy.

Why Not Ourselves?

• We’re not all-knowing.
• We’re not all-powerful.
• We’re not all-present.
• We’re not all-loving.
• We’re not completely faithful and trustworthy.

It’s easy to see the difference:

• God is such that He is perfectly suited to be trusted in.

• We are such that we are perfectly suited to place our trust elsewhere other than ourselves.

We’ll continue this study later by addressing the following mindset which should follow from what we’ve learned already:

“Okay, so you’ve convinced me.  I agree that my trust should be in God, not myself.  So what?  What does that look like?  How do I do that?“

I’m interested  to hear other perspectives addressing this question.  Why should we trust in God?  What do you say?