Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
How do you express trust? In the world it is expressed by use. You sit in a chair because you trust it will hold your weight. You drive too close to the car in front of you because you trust in the car’s brakes.
When we are new born Christians we are too inexperienced to understand trust as it is spoken of here in this proverb. The deeper appreciation of that trust might not come for some time, even if you do think you understand. Our first instinct is obedience because that is how we trust in the world.
The second line of this quoted proverb states He will give us direction after we acknowledge Him in all our ways. Obedience of faith is the end result of hearing God with the certainty which comes from experience in acknowledging God in every aspect of your life.
It is important for us to acknowledge this because we are asked to make disciples and how can we train them in the way they should go if we do not acknowledge this ourselves?
Prayer is an expression of trust. Worship is an expression of trust. Study is an expression of trust. Listening is an expression of trust. Being real and honest about yourself with fellow believers is an expression of trust. Praising God when alone is an expression of trust.
Trust is an expression of acceptance of His Lordship over your life. The song says trust and obey, not the other way around. Obedience without trust is nothing more than an exercise of self-will which is what got us in trouble in the first place.
“Obedience without trust”
My Old Order Mennonite is adamant about trust and obedience. When Allen approaches his horse to make him ready for the buggy, he depends upon his horse to trust him to take the bit and bridle. The horse needs to blindly back into buggy shafts, so that he can be secured in the harness. As Allen grabs the buggy whip socket to pull himself up, the horses ears first turn backwards and then stand straight up to anticipate the first command. Allen rarely needs to use the buggy whip, because the horse has learned that obedience comes without a sting.
Ern, amazing how many good parallels there are in the world. I like this one. Never heard it before but it makes perfect sense.