The Importance of Understanding

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways know Him and He will make your paths straight.” ~CSB

When it comes to the action of ‘understanding’ we must be aware that in situations that dictate, we need to be on one side of understanding and not the other. This sometimes varies on which side we should be on. For example, there are some people who have been conditioned by the world to reject pain and suffering. They disregard what Paul says when he tells us to ‘embrace’ those emotions. These individuals do not understand the purpose of our trials. So instead of enduring, they reject it all together. 

This causes them to reject the understanding of ‘God’s purpose in trial’ along with their failure to understand Him. In this case we need to be on the side of ‘understanding’ in learning more about trials. Trusting in what we do not see. The Word tells us that we may not know the path of the wind, but we know the wind is there. We may not know how the body is formed in a mother’s womb but we all witness life in people. We may not understand these things but we do know that the results we do witness are the work of God, (Ecclesiastes 11:5). He is the maker of all things. We must pray for the wisdom needed to understand in what we cannot see and trust in God, who sees all. 

On the other hand, there are things that go on in this world that we should try not to understand. For instance, In my line of work I have had to venture into some dark places. I have to interact with some dark individuals in these situations. In my law enforcement career I have learned that some situations need to be prayed for instead of understood. One of the reasons for this is that sometimes venturing to seek understanding about ungodly, dark situations, may cause our flesh to get confused and begin to take on some of those dark qualities. We do not want this.

This is why we must lean on God, instead of our own ‘understanding’. We must put more effort into understanding and building a relationship with Jesus Christ rather than following curiously about areas in this world that we don’t even need to be a part of.  God has insight for us. He has a purpose He wants to work through us. Let us leave room in our hearts for divine understanding and allow God to strengthen us spiritually so that He can help us discern what is good and useful for us on our journey. The Word says we must trust God, “...in all our ways know Him, and He will make our paths straight.”

Amen

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