Article January 13, 1917 Issue

"Trust in the Lord"

COL. H. G. KENNARD

That wonderful portion of the Bible known as the book of Proverbs seems so filled with wisdom and good advice that many of its verses are regarded as specially applicable to mundane affairs, and are often quoted as trite sayings. There are, however, two short verses which are of such importance to mankind that if they were more generally observed and put into practice the lesson they contain would save us much trouble and anxious thought. One reads, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding;" and the other goes on, "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Here we have in these two verses the secret of true success; and when we fail to remember them and to carry out their teaching we have an explanation of all our failures. On looking up the word "trust" in the dictionary, we find these meanings given: "Firm belief in the honesty, veracity, justice, strength, etc., of a person;" "To place reliance on the truth of a statement without examination." What more beautiful and comforting knowledge can we ask for than this, that when any doubt or fear assails us, it is not left to us to battle it out on our own plane, but we are specifically told not to lean upon our own understanding, however competent we may think we are to deal with any question, for we are told by Paul that the wisdom of mortal man is "foolishness with God."

Now this does not mean that when discord of any kind assails us we are to sit down and wait for an inspiration to come to us as a sort of miracle. A successful issue from any problem is not gained without the earnest knowing that, as Jesus declared, "with God all things are possible." We have also to remember that if the promise is a great one, and if we really wish to be directed in all our paths, our own part in the matter has to be carried out. Half and half measures are not likely to bring a full reward, and we can hardly be surprised if results do not seem to work out correctly when we have let even a little undercurrent of our own understanding creep in to mar our sense of God's work.

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