Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

Richard McClelland, a precious 91 year old man, died last month. I was asked to read his favorite scripture, Proverbs 3:5-6, and pray at his memorial service. On my drive to Oasis Church for the service, I began to think about Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths.

Since most believers know this passage by heart, I thought it would be good for everyone to recite it together before I led us in prayer. I wanted to make sure I could recite without a mistake, so I said Trust in the Lord out loud as I pulled off the freeway onto Greenway Road.
I glanced to my left at the traffic heading east on Greenway and said, with all your heart… as an oncoming car passed by. Then I hit the gas as I said, Lean not unto your own understanding… and I immediately crashed into the back of an SUV in front of me.
Ahhh! Are you kidding me, how stupid! I had crashed while quoting scripture. This could be expensive and make me late for the memorial service. My air bag did not go off, but the SUV stopped. We were now blocking the exit ramp.

The SUV began to move slowly onto Greenway Road. I stayed right behind it, assuming they wanted to pull over and assess the damage. The SUV took a right turn onto a quiet side street. As it turned, I had an impulse to hit the gas and keep going straight for a quick getaway. I resisted the temptation.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, was echoing in my mind, though it did not make me feel better. The SUV pulled over at the curb and I pulled in behind it. A lady got out and walked towards me. I got out of my car and went to meet her.

I immediately apologized and told her it was my fault. We both looked at her car. I couldn’t see any damage. She started feeling along her bumper with her hand. I looked at my bumper. Somehow, both bumpers had aligned perfectly and showed no damage. I have bumped bumpers before and they have been dented. I have had collisions before and crushed the front of my car.

The lady took pictures of my driver’s license and my insurance card. Before we drove away, I pulled $20 out my wallet and told her she could have it for the inconvenience. I know that’s a cheesy, small amount of money, but I wanted to give her something!

You can be trusting in the Lord and, sometimes, stuff still happens. You can be leaning not unto your own understanding, but if you are not paying attention to where you are going, the stuff of life can be really stinky.

My friend John Kelly crashed into a pillar with his car a couple of weeks ago. He is in the hospital recovering from surgery for a broken neck. He faces months of rehab. John and his wife Judy would appreciate your prayers. For them, trusting in the Lord with all their hearts is very challenging right now.

I was talking with my friend Danny Lehmann on the phone recently. Danny had mailed me a copy of his latest book called, The Holy Bible Wholly True. He has been an author, evangelist and YWAM leader for over forty years. The last few years, Danny has fought cancer and Parkinson’s disease at the same time.

Danny has been faithful to Jesus since he was nineteen years old. He knows the Bible from cover to cover and lives the life of a dedicated disciple. Yet, he too must trust the Lord with all his heart, because the deadly diseases he battles are trying to steal his joy, rob his health, and destroy his life. Danny and his wife, Linda, would appreciate your prayers as well.

I was hiking recently and felt a twinge in my knee. I thought of my friend Steve Kush. Steve was one of the most gifted physical therapists in Arizona for fifty years. He loves the Lord and was my go-to guy for recovering from injuries.

I called Steve to check in and say hello. He told me he has been losing his balance lately and has had some bad falls. He is struggling with several age-related physical issues. After spending his life helping others with their physical challenges, Steve now needs help himself. He has to trust in the Lord with all his heart, not his own understanding.

When our bodies hurt, it tests our souls, as well. When we make stupid mistakes and crash our cars or take falls because we lose our balance, it hurts whether you are a believer or not. Rain falls on the just and the unjust and aging does, as well.

Many times, we cannot figure out why bad things happen to us. We try to stay healthy with medicines, vitamins, diets and “It might help and probably won’t hurt me” remedies, but we are mostly guessing and hoping for the best.

Trusting in the Lord is believing good will come out of every situation. We can trust God to act on our behalf because he is the living God and our loving Father who brings grace and power when his Spirit moves. Trusting is believing that even when our days on earth come to an end, we can look forward to heaven.

Trusting in the Lord is continuing to reach out and love others, even when you could use a little more love yourself.

A friend asked me recently, “So you are always reaching out to others. Who do you have in your life who asks you how you are doing?”

I’m a part of pastors’ groups, as well as two men’s groups, where we love each other. I also am fortunate to have friends who love me and a great home church at Living Streams. However, the bottom line answer to his question is this: In every crisis I have faced over the years, people who love Jesus have shown up to pray, encourage and support Kristina and me.
Jesus commanded us to love one another. If you actively love God’s people, you will help build a Christ centered community. You never can tell who will be there for you in any given situation; but for the last fifty-five years I have learned God is faithful. If I trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not unto my own understanding, if I acknowledge him in all my ways, he will make my path straight.

I want to stay on this path with our Lord Jesus straight into his eternal Kingdom.