Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” 

When I look back over my years in leadership responsibilities, I can see how many times God led me to pray these two verses back to him. This has been true in my personal life, my family, my career, and my church. These two verses remind us once again that God’s Word should be prayed back to him and that his commands are followed by a promise. When we are obedient to his command in these two verses, He promises to make straight our paths. So often, we want to take the matter into our own hands and not wait or trust Him to do what only He (the Father) knows is best.

I have had many growing and maturing times in my walk with Christ and still do today when I abide and lead by these two verses. On many occasions, God has spoken to me through the Holy Spirit with these words, “Dean, trust me as I have everything under control, God!” I had something in my life this week in which God reminded me of these words several days and multiple times in advance of the issue that arose. When we pray, trust him, and give him time to answer, we find that He knows what is best and makes straight the paths. We should then stop to praise Him for handling and showing us His hand in the matter. As a leader, it is our responsibility and obedience to trust Him in every situation in life. We must be patient and confident in our prayers to acknowledge that He knows what is best and will do it for us. It really is a matter of our heart and whether or not we fully trust Him. Here is an applicable quote from the book, 21 Days To Childlike Prayer, “When we offer up our request with the heart belief that God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything he knows.” It reminds me of the old television show which few people remember today but is still true, “Father Knows Best.”