Lean Not on Your Own Understanding!

by Roberto Diaz

MAR. 27, 2021

"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 NIV and NKJV



There was a time in my life when I was seeking the Lord’s will concerning direction in life and in ministry. Could I lean on my experience and training as a minister to figure out what I was supposed to do?

Well, I have been a Christian since kindergarten. I surrendered to the ministry right out of high school. I attended seminary and have taught in Bible schools. I have been a pastor and a missionary. I am supposed to be a leader and a guide, especially to those who seem lost in their way in this world. Shouldn’t I lean on my experience as a “mature Christian leader” in the church of God? Don’t I have enough understanding of life and of the Bible to lean on my own understanding of how life works?

The NRSV says, “do not rely on your own insight.” That explains it a little better. Don’t lean on your own understanding to the exclusion of what the Bible says and teaches in other passages. In this case, I went to the beginning of the book of Proverbs to see the context of this very important verse — don’t lean on your own understanding!

From the very beginning Solomon, the author of this book, tells us to seek wisdom, instruction, and understanding (Proverbs 1:2). So this understanding comes from God (“Trust in the Lord with all your heart”), which augments the human understanding. Verse 3 says that we need to receive instruction in justice, judgment, and equity (NKJV). Verse four tells us we also need prudence, knowledge and discretion. Add to that listening, so that we many increase in learning (v. 5). We are also told to listen to the words of the wise (v. 6.) The clincher comes in verse 7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Everything is so well explained in the first seven verses of Proverbs.

It’s in times like these that we should not lean on our own understanding, but we should seek the Lord’s guidance to understand the times and the seasons in life and in the world. We are in the middle of a pandemic, so what should we do? What path should we take? Even medical professionals contradict each other as to what we should do to avoid getting COVID-19, and what we should do to protect ourselves after we receive the vaccination. Trust in the Lord to give you wisdom, instruction, prudence, knowledge, discretion, and understanding — through His Word, of course — and lean not on your own human understanding. He has promised to guide your path.