[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 07/Feb/2021]
This word of Wisdom is found in Proverbs 3:5-6. Let’s not miss the words at the beginning: ‘Trust (rely on, depend on) the Lord with all your heart‘. How apt this is right now! A few weeks ago, Martin explored the question ‘What is truth?’ Today, more than ever before, we cannot rest assured that anything we see or hear – especially on social media – is reliable. There is every imaginable slant on every issue.
‘The scientists can be trusted when they speak about Covid ‘. ‘Oh, no! They can’t even agree amongst themselves. And most of them are part of an evil worldwide conspiracy to scare all of us into complying with those in power.’
‘The American elections were conducted fairly’. ‘Oh, no! The people were duped by an evil secret plot to unseat God’s man and put in place a stooge who will drag us into socialism (or worse), and rob us of our basic freedoms!’
Even decent people don’t know what to believe any more. What can they ‘lean on’? The first 4 chapters of Proverbs are all about the incredible blessings awaiting those who trust God in the midst of confusion and anxiety.
In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus puts his stamp on it: ‘Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow‘. [The Message]
I think, as children of a wise and loving Father, we CAN hear His voice. And it brings not confusion and fear, but peace and trust. We may be ridiculed for taking such a naive, child-like position but I’d rather put up with that than take sides on things I really don’t understand!
What about you?
Contributed by Dennis Ginter; © the Author
