Proverbs 3:5-6 What Does it Mean to Trust in the Lord?

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Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of those often-quoted verses. It’s one that I go to frequently when I am struggling with something in my life. I decided to do a deeper dive into this verse and see what it really means or represents to me.

So let’s get started!

What Does Proverbs 3:5-6 Say Beyond Trust in The Lord?

Proverbs 3:5-6 (New King James Version) says this:

5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 
And lean not on your own understanding;
6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, 
And He shall direct your paths.

The New International Version reads similarly but verse 6 says it this way:

6  In all your ways SUBMIT to Him and He will make all your paths STRAIGHT.

The New Living Translation words it as follows:

5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
Do not DEPEND on your own understanding.
6  SEEK HIS WILL in all you do.
And HE will SHOW YOU which PATH TO TAKE.

In all of these versions, it tells us to Trust in the Lord. That verse prompts a question. How do we trust in the Lord?

That can be so incredibly difficult at times. I know in my life, I often say that I trust God. But the reality is that I do doubt at times. Especially when things are difficult. When one of my kids is struggling with their mental health or when our finances look bleak. Or when tragedies happen to us or those around us.

What Does It Mean to Trust?

A firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.

–Oxford Dictionary Definition of the word TRUST

Think about those in your life who you trust. You believe them to be reliable and honest especially in their dealings with you personally, right?

Is it really any different in our relationship with God? If we TRUST in Him, we are simply saying that we believe Him to be reliable (does what He says He will do) and share honest truths with us, even if it may be something that is hard for us to hear.

I find that sometimes, no matter my good intentions, I do find it harder to be trusting. Well, maybe it’s not actually difficulty with trusting God per se, but the making sense of some of the things God allows in our lives.

See, I have no doubt that God can heal, perform miracles, restore people, and relationships and make all kinds of wonderful things happen. Or that He could instantly heal someone of cancer, or immediately restore a broken marriage, if He so desires.

The thing I have the most difficulty with, I guess is the acceptance that He may choose NOT to do some of those things. He may have another plan. It’s hard when we want things fixed instantly and yet He may allow us to wait for an answer or a “fix” because immediacy isn’t His ultimate purpose.

While intellectually, I understand that our challenges and sufferings are usually the points in our lives where we grow and learn the most about ourselves and God, it is difficult to go through the pain or hurt, regardless.

How to truly get to a place of TRUSTING in Him, for me, comes from the NIV version of this verse, Proverbs 3:5-6.

Verse 6 says SUBMIT to Him and He will make your paths straight (our path in life He will make smooth, easy). Who doesn’t want life to be easy or at least easier?

My takeaway from that verse is that by submitting, not only my life but my thoughts & my worries, shows Him that I trust in Him and that act of obedience will move God to smooth out a path in my life.

How to Submit to God

Surrendering or submitting our thoughts and plans to God involves us sharing with Him our concerns and then handing them over to Him to care for and figure out.

There are times when we have to continue to act or move, but we can be at peace over it all because we can be confident that He is working it out. There are other times when we are to literally be “hands off” completely and let Jesus handle it all.

Remember this verse?

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to PROSPER you and not to harm you, plans to give you a HOPE and a FUTURE.

Jeremiah 29:11

If we can put our trust in the Lord and not try to figure things out in our own understanding, but instead spend our time seeking Him and submitting all to Him, we can have faith that HE will “work out all things for good to those who love Him.” (Romans 8:28)

If we have put our faith in Him, we can trust that He will be there for us, with us and ultimately will work good out of every situation.