Thursday, March 21, 2013

Am I "ALL" in?

Proverbs 3:5,6 says "Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight."

As I meditated on this verse today, I was struck square in the face by the word "ALL".  It clearly states that we are expected to trust God with ALL our heart and acknowledge Him in ALL our ways.  Webster defines the word "ALL" as "the full or whole amount of", "entirely, purely, consumed".  So if we substitute one of these definitions in this verse, it reads

"Trust in the Lord with the full or whole amount of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in the full or whole amount of your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight". 


Just like the song by Janis Joplin says we should give God "every little piece of our heart".  But how many of us truly do this?  True surrender is a heart sold out to God- can you say that every piece of your heart belongs to your heavenly Father? 

I'll be honest...  I know there are parts of my heart that do not belong to God.  I long to give it all to Him but I struggle with letting go and fully surrendering it all.  What I do know though is that when I choose to trust Him and not lean on my own understanding that my faith builds and my heart can't help to draw closer to God.

A few Sundays ago, I was at the alter on my knees, begging for God to take away an upcoming trial.  I was honest with Him- I did not want to do it- I needed Him to take it away- I wanted no part of it.  The reality was that I was going to endure the trial- it would have been an act of God for it to be removed.  After praying, I was able to stand up from that alter with a renewed assurance and peace that I could do it- that He would be with me, allowing me to endure the trial.  In the midst of the trial, I have walked this very verse- trusting God to see me through and not allowing my own feelings to dictate my heart.  As I acknowledge God through the trial, He has paved a straight path filled with peace, patience, joy and even love. 


So what about your heart?  How much of it does God occupy?  Are you still holding tight to pieces of your heart- scared to trust and follow God? 

Relax your grip, hold out your hand- God loves you so much that He will take care of "every little piece of your heart".


Jenny

3 comments:

  1. I sometimes wonder why I cry when I'm worshiping. I think you just identified one of the reasons... I want so badly for God to have my whole heart, but when I'm trying to give Him my all, I feel an overwhelming sadness for holding back. Thanks for sharing Jenny. Your thoughts are very insightful & encouraging!!

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    1. I always struggle with singing the song "I Surrender All". It goes "all to Jesus I surrender, I surrender all". My heart wants to surrender it all but I ultimately pick things out of Christ's hands and carry them myself. Thankfully He does look at our heart and knows our desire to please and serve Him.

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