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. ^{Proverbs 3:5-6}

This proverb is an excellent maxim for reaping the best possible outcome in this life. It is quite simple, but contrary to human nature. Trust in the Lord is complete dependence on God and total submission to his will; along with the confidence that he will put and keep you on the right course. Our instinct is to take control, and rely on our own intelligence, experience, intuition, and emotion. Often, we will do well because we are smart, but we do well in the context of our desires, not in achieving the objective of obedience to the will of God. One seems good now, the other is good forever.

How do you know that you are “trusting in the Lord” in the decisions you make and not relying on your own understating? You trust in the Lord by loving God, living in the word, and praying for his guidance and wisdom. James tells us that God gives wisdom to all who ask but you must be steadfast in the faith. ^{Read James 1:5-6} To effectively trust in the Lord is to live as a disciple, a soul committed to pursuing God’s will. It is a way of life.   

He will direct you by your conscience, he will give you the desire to move forward, he will set every circumstance and he will show you the correct path in ways you cannot imagine. The road may not be easy, he may take you in a direction that seems futile, he may test you with trials but know that if you follow him, you will be blessed and you will be successful. Then you work hard to accomplish every endeavor undertaken. You give it your best because you are working to the glory of God. Trust in the Lord because he loves you and he has a plan for you.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. ^{Romans 8:28-29}