The Science of Reliance

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not rely on your own insight.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.”

~Proverbs 3:5-6 (NRSV).

Sometimes not a lot can be done about our circumstances. We know all the religious clichés under the sun and yet this cloud impinging on us won’t budge.

A real faith needs to have an effective answer to these tougher questions that life sends us via our emotional responses to the troubles that come. Why else would we otherwise or justifiably believe?

Reliance

It comes under many different banners, but for simplicity purposes let’s just fix on this. Reliance is, at source, the common act of letting go—in this case with God. It’s the only practical thing we can do in a pile of stifling tumult, a mess of rags and a drone unbearable, even for a moment or a day.

This is not about giving up. It’s simply just about getting out of our own way—or otherwise diligently doing what God requires of us, via the sensing of the call of his Holy Spirit.

This is against what we want, obviously, at our uttermost flesh level—that daily scourge resplendent in our very human condition. We see here, it’s not easy. But it’s the only way. Godly awareness—of the momentary kind—cannot hence be understated. It’s critical.

Mediating Over Proverbs 3:5-6

When we read this passage we can easily be lulled into thinking, “Yes, I know, been there, done that!” In our ambivalence, we pass over the incredibly cogent wisdom which never changes. Isn’t it both strange and sad that the so-called ‘mature’ Christian is so often “so over” learning again from the most basic of Scripture?

Reading and meditating over this passage, a la Psalm 1:2, highlights a brilliantly golden truth; sometimes a strange thing happens. We’re visited at times by the heart of God which detects our desire to instil the message.

Implicit Growth

Some things never get any more basic than just doing the doing. We engage in the process; the outcomes come of themselves through the divine and majestic mysteries of God.

As we focus on these two powerful verses—verses which merely point us further afield in a game of growth that never ends—our lives begin gently changing.

Now, suddenly, we see at one point of time, with all those days and weeks of focusing on relying on God—the theory—per the Proverbs passage, results are known! We just relied on God—and it happened without effort! From this our confidence soars.

This is just one very powerful way that the Holy Spirit changes our lives, one day at a time.

Only the Holy Spirit at work answers the tougher questions, proving our faith.

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.