Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.

Proverbs 3:5 (NASB)

Important announcement below.  Please read to the end of this post.

We will all face very difficult valley decisions at some point in our lives.  Perhaps you are at that place now.  When trials seem too hard to bear or we’re facing a tough decision, believers seek God’s will.  However, many of us are still left wondering…

What direction do I take?

What is the answer, Lord?

I don’t know the path to take.

There are so many things that could go wrong.  What if?

I’ve called Christian friends and sought Godly counsel.  Prayers have been lifted up and encouragement has been offered.

Which way Lord?

What will the outcome be?

Then I remember Solomon’s prayer after he became king in I Kings 3:6-9 and God’s answer in 10-15.  Solomon humbly prayed and asked the Lord for wisdom. He realized the awesome task he was undertaking. He had to fill the shoes of his father, King David, but he wasn’t sure how to carry out his new duties.  He didn’t know how to step into the big footsteps of his dad. Just prior to his death, David spoke to his son and told him what to do, but it wasn’t enough.  Solomon knew he needed God, and he humbled himself before the Lord and said:

“Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

He asked the Lord for a discerning heart!  He didn’t ask for money or power.  Instead, he asked for wisdom. Not only did God grant him wisdom, but he also gave him wealth and honor among the kings.

When Christians face valley decisions, we often stumble and can’t find our footing.  That is when we need a Solomon-like prayer and to follow a few simple Christian principles:

1.  Turn to the scriptures and seek the truth.

2.  Admit that you can’t do it on your own.

3.  Ask God to show you His will.

4.  Seek His wisdom.

5.  Claim God’s promises and more importantly….

  Trust Him!

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 -2011)

We’ve done everything on the list that we know we are supposed to do, but have we really trusted God?  Most of us will probably say, YES!  But have we? 

God wants our best and a life fully surrendered to Him.  We may say,”Lord, I’m giving it to you” only to take it back.  It’s so easy to take it back, but if we develop a Godly pattern of trusting Him daily, then our valley decisions can be easier to overcome.  Will we lean on our own understanding or depend totally on God?  If we fully surrender our lives to the Lord, He is faithful to show us the path.

Our actions must match our words.  If there is one area that we’re not giving to God, we know and He knows, too. Maybe we have one or two bad attitudes, one person we cannot forgive, or perhaps it is one sinful habit that we’ve never given to God.  We need to surrender whatever is keeping us from having complete confidence in Him.

God wants to help us but we must trust Him and acknowledge Him in all our ways.

Did you ever play that game with your friends, where you fall backwards and they catch you?  Some easily fall backwards and let someone catch them, while others keep looking back with hesitation.  Some of us are better at trusting.

Will you join me today and ask the Lord to give you the wisdom to surrender any obstacle that may be keeping you from hearing His answer?  To do that, we need to believe His promises, submit to His will and trust Him completely!  Then, he will set our paths straight.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

If this post looks familiar, it’s because I wrote it last May. I thought it was the perfect post to let you, our subscribers, know that this will be our last post. I’ve prayed about it for some time, discussed it with the other authors, and it was a difficult decision to make. However, God has given me peace about it. It’s been a privilege getting to know a few of you through our posts and our giveaways. I want to thank all of our subscribers and those who have followed our page on Facebook.  Thanks to all who have taken the time to post comments. I want to give a shout out to Jackie, who we met in the beginning and who has been faithful to come in and comment and say hello. I will miss you. Roberta, thank you for your encouragement as well. Our posts and the site will remain open until the end of March.

I want to thank Linda for being co-administrator of LTBC, along with being a faithful friend, a great editor and author.  I couldn’t have done it without you, Linda. Janet, your support and friendship have meant so much, too. I can’t thank you enough for challenging me to think deeper on certain subjects and for sharing your heart. Each of these wonderful, kind ladies gave me so much encouragement along the way. Arlene, Sandra, Bob, Kathy and Charma, I appreciate all your contributions, too. God seemed to always time them perfectly. I thank God for this opportunity. It was a wonderful blessing.

Pastor Christopher B. Wolf has been so gracious in these last few months to share his posts from his Living Water blog. I encourage you to follow him. His posts inspire and he writes with a heart full of compassion. He cares! You can also follow him on his weekly radio program, Walk with Me, on the internet on 94.9, WYFN or at his website.

By His Grace,

Joan

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Welcome to the Learning to Be Content Blog. I'm glad you are here! I'm a child of God who has finally awakened to the awesome power and leading of God in my life. It is my prayer and hope that our articles will offer encouragement, be filled with nuggets of spiritual truth, and will always shine the light on God's Kingdom. Abiding in Christ is the source of true contentment and He loves you! "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31

Joan

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