When Understanding Takes the Back Seat
One of the passages God has used to pull me out of countless mental and emotional jams is Proverbs 3:5–6:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
The entire passage is powerful, but the part that always hits home for me is, “lean not on your own understanding.”
That’s a tough one. I don’t think any of us have lived a single day where we didn’t lean on our own understanding at least a little bit—it almost sounds impossible.
What I think the author is really getting at is this: our understanding is limited and flawed, and that’s exactly why we need to trust God above it. My understanding fails me more often than I realize. The truth is, I tend to think I’m smarter than I am, and that pride makes it easy to rely on my own judgment. The problem? When your understanding is off—and you’re used to leaning on it—it’s hard to admit you’re wrong.
I don’t think this proverb is calling us to turn our brains off. It’s more like this: our understanding gets to ride in the car, but it doesn’t get to drive it.
I trust that Jesus rose from the dead. I trust that He loves me and always has my best interests at heart. I understand parts of my faith, but not enough to “prove” it to someone determined to argue against it—and that’s okay.
Honestly, I didn’t realize how much was wrapped up in this one verse until I started writing. So there might be a part two coming. But for today—October 15, 2025—Proverbs 3:5–6 is what I’m sitting with.
Hope you have a great day.