By Pr Isaiah White
We are living in difficult times. Economies are struggling, public health is deteriorating, families are breaking up and marriages are dead or dying.
Proverbs provides some insights on how to heal from these difficult times.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8).
There are several things these verses address on how to live healthily in this dangerous world.
Trust in the Lord
Trusting in the Lord means to live and act towards one’s purpose, even when evidence suggests otherwise.
It is having our faith placed in Him regardless of the existing circumstances. Sometimes, trust works against evidence.
When Sarah was told she was going to conceive, she laughed because it was a known fact that women in menopause do not get pregnant.
When God told Abraham that he would be the father of nations, he trusted Him for that promise, though he was aging.
We need to exercise trust if we are to have a healthy relationship with God as believers.
Trust is the foundation of our hope, and hope is the rationale for our living.
We need to trust in the Lord regardless of the circumstances.
Lean not on yourself
To live a healthy life in this difficult world, we are asked not to lean on our understanding, but God. First of all, the Lord knows we understand. God is not opposed to that.
However, He cautions us against leaning on that understanding alone. It is not healthy to lean on your understanding because; “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12).
It is dangerous to lean on your plans and not on God’s, for the Word of God says: “We may make our plans, but God has the last word” (Proverbs 16:1).
Now listen, you who say: “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life like? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Instead, you ought to say: “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that” (James 4:13-15).
Our understanding is good. The majority share of it is God-given. However, we are warned not to lean on it at the expense of the understanding of God.
We can plan, but always remember to subject all our plans to the ultimate plan of our Creator and Redeemer. For it is God who establishes all our plans:
“A man’s mind plans his way (as he journeys through life), but the Lord directs his steps and establishes them” (Proverbs 16:9).
Acknowledge Him
To live healthy in this world is to acknowledge God. We must remember God works through people.
While we appreciate them, we thank God for using them to work for our good.
Acknowledging God is not only thanksgiving, but also recognition of His power. We recognize that while we did not see Him at work then, our success demonstrates His unseen effort.
Acknowledging God is witnessing to the world that without Him, we would not be where we are right now.
These years have been difficult to live in. The world has been struck by pandemics and epidemics.
People have died, some are in hospitals, while others are experiencing real-time wars, families have broken apart, but God has shielded you.
Even amidst wars, disease, or poverty, we need to acknowledge the work of God in our lives because through this, we are worshipping and giving Him praise.
In summary, Proverbs is a wisdom book from which we learn how to live wisely in this difficult world.
With all the uncertainties surrounding our lives, our refuge is in trusting the Lord who is Omniscient.
We are called to seek to grow in the knowledge of God as we make life’s tough decisions.
Finally, we acknowledge that it has always been God, it is God and it will be God in whom we have everlasting life.
The writer is a
life coach and pastor.
Contact: +256 775 822 833
whitemwine@gmail.com
