"Trust in the Lord" The Meaning of Proverbs 3:5-6

In the biblical book of Proverbs, chapter 3 and verses 5 and 6 are popular in the Christian faith. ✝️

People often quote them as a way of trusting God when things are tough. They are a source of comfort when a person is going through a situation they don’t understand. The wisdom in Proverbs 3:5-6 is necessary for every situation you face in life. Indeed, there's a number of books on Amazon dedicated solely to the study of the Book of Proverbs.

Verses 5 and 6 are part of one sentence:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths".
Proverbs 3:5-6 

To better understand and explain Proverbs 3:5-6 we have to consider verses together. This gives the context of the message they convey to the reader. Though simple, these two Bible verses are power-packed and deliver a hard-hitting message. That if you trust in the Lord instead of your human wisdom, God will show you the right path to take. 🤲

Before we dive into the deeper meaning of Proverbs 3:5-6, let’s look at who wrote it.

1) Who Wrote Proverbs 3:5-6 ?

👑 King Solomon wrote most of the book of Proverbs, (Old Testament) where we find chapter 3 passages 5 and 6. We know this because Proverbs 1:1 says, “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel." (King David wrote most of the book of Psalms). Proverbs 25:1 says that the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied the proverbs of Solomon. Agur and King Lemuel wrote Proverbs 30 and 31 respectively. 

Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived. He asked God for wisdom to rule the people of Israel 🇮🇱, and they recognized that his wisdom was divine. 1 Kings 4:32 says Solomon had three thousand proverbs to his name. The proverbs were a reflection of the wisdom Solomon had gleaned throughout his life. 

2) What is the meaning of Proverbs 3:5-6 ?

What does Proverbs 3:5-6 mean is that we are to trust God with all our hearts and not depend on what we know 🤔. At all times, include God in everything you do, and this way, you give Him a chance to keep you on the right track. You may not always know what lies ahead.

The general application of these verses is that in any given situation, trust Our Lord because He knows what to do. You don’t always know what to do, and relying on your wisdom or intelligence will mislead you. When you involve God in every action step you take to rectify a situation, you will arrive at the right solution. 👌

In this section, we will look at Proverbs 3:5-6 in three distinct parts, that is:

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

A. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart" Meaning

The world has taught us that we are very capable of handling anything that comes our way. Many of the methods don’t include the power of God ⚡, but that of man. As a child of God, put your trust in Him instead of the many ways of the world (Psalm 20:7). 

When you trust in God with all your heart, it means that you leave no room for doubt. You believe what He says because you know He is always right and will never deceive you. God sees the bigger picture and therefore knows what lies ahead of you and what you don’t see. Trust in God in every situation and relationship in your life.

Trusting God comes naturally when you know Him and how He works. It’s hard to trust someone you don’t know and can’t rely on. God is trustworthy and faithful and has proven Himself throughout the Bible. When you spend time to read the scriptures, you will know God and His ways and be familiar with His will. 🧐

God expects that you will trust Him with all your heart, not just a part of it ❤. When we don’t trust Him wholeheartedly, we question His abilities and tuck in a Plan B, just in case He doesn’t come through. Put your complete trust in God knowing He won’t let you down. 

B. "And lean not on your own understanding" Meaning

Many times we try to figure things out in a situation yet we don’t always have all the information. The second part of verse 5 tells us not to depend on our understanding of things because we could be wrong 😕. You may have misinterpreted someone's words or underestimated a certain danger or threat. 

We love being in control and tend to stay away from anything that makes us lose our grasp of any situation. That is why Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still,” meaning that we should stop striving to do things in our strength.

Read also on the blog: The Meaning of Psalm 46:10 to you as a child of God.

Let go of your ideas or inventions, and allow the wisdom of God to prevail. Your opinion should not rank higher than what our God says because you don’t always know the truth about something. 🙅‍♀

You have to let go of what you think you know so that God can show you the truth. You may have biased opinions based on false beliefs. God has given us the Spirit of truth - the Holy Spirit - to show us the truth in every situation we face (John 14:17). 

C. "In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths" Meaning

Proverbs 3:6 urges us to involve God in all our ways and this way, we give Him a chance to direct our steps in the right direction. The Christian life is one that you live in surrender to the Lord.

You live your life for Christ Jesus after you are born again (2 Corinthians 5:15). This means that God is a part of every area of your life and the things you do. He wants to make sure you are always on the right track. 😊

When you are intimate with God, you give Him access to all your life, not just a part of it. You allow Him to have a say in the things you plan on doing to make sure you don’t end up on a dead-end road. Remember, there is a path that looks right to a man but in the end, it leads to death (Proverbs 14:12). 💀

God’s ways are perfect and He makes your ways secure and righteous. The way we do things should reflect God’s ways.

If this bible verse is meaningful to you, you will love this Proverbs 3:5-6 Bracelet.

3) Conclusion

Psalm 84:12 in the Bible says that the one who trusts in the Lord is blessed. 🙏

You accrue blessings for trusting God instead of your understanding. Following God’s way in every situation will lead to peace and prosperity and you have no reason to worry. When God is in charge, He brings good out of an unpleasant situation and makes sure you are victorious. ✊

Further your understanding and wisdom of the Proverbs with these bestselling bible study books. 

Trust God with all your heart.

God’s word is right and true and you can bank on it (Psalm 33:4). God is faithful and always stands by His word. He is your helper and will help you when you don’t know what to do. He will never leave you or forsake you in your time of need. 

Trust God always and your path will be secure and stable. ❤