Leaning on something solid

A recurring theme in my devotional readings so far this year has involved the idea of leaning. Specifically it has dealt with leaning onto God, leaning into Jesus, not leaning on my own understanding.

I love God’s word and I try to apply it but sometimes I am thick in the head and I can read something a zillion times and agree whole heartedly and yet not have a clue how to actually, practically apply it to my daily walk.

Quite a few years ago I was reading Proverbs 3: 5-6.

Familiar most likely to most Christians it instructs us to…

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.

At the time, as I recall, my path seemed more like a roller coaster and a nice, straight, clear path was rather appealing to me. So I stopped and dissected the passage to learn more about how I could land in this place where He would make my path straight.

I trusted Him.

I was submitting my ways to Him.

So was the snag that I was still trying to lean on my own understanding.

Doubtfully.

The circumstances we were going through were so completely out of any realm of anything I could process that I remember just having a melt down and writing in my journal that I couldn’t possibly be leaning on my own understanding since I understood absolutely nothing about what was happening.

God spoke gently into my heart these words….

“Laura, you are leaning on…relying on …that one day this season will make sense. You are leaning on your need to at least some day understand what has happened and why. You may never know the answer to that. But I understand. Are you okay with that?”

I wrote in the margin of my Bible that day this declaration.

I may never understand what has happened and the reason for it, but I know you know and that will be enough for me.

I can’t say the roller coaster stopped but the path on which my feet landed each day no longer pitched and hurled out of control. There was a steadiness that began to take over as I leaned.

Leaning is an interesting word.

Try leaning on a wall today.

Physically walk up to a door frame or a post or a counter and actually lean on it.

Put part of your weight onto the solid structure that is not part of your body and let that hold your heaviness.

I find that this helps me translate what it is to spiritually and emotionally and mentally LEAN on to God.

As you let your body rest against something that is supporting you that doesn’t involve your own physical strength, pray about this need to lean on God with your needs and the needs of others you are praying for.

Taking a physical posture is not one of our cultural norms, but bowing, kneeling, leaning…physically doing these acts…brings a deeper sense of loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (body).

Blessings friends. Let’s grow in these this week…

Trust

Submit

Lean not on our ability

Lean into His

Share and Save: