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Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (KJV/NKJV)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (NASB/NIV)
“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.” (RSV)
“Trust the Lord completely; don’t ever trust yourself. In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success. (TLB)
Ok, we’ve had enough softball memory verses. Now, for some tough ones. Actually, the suggestion that I might be calling any previous memory verses easy is just not true. The fact is that the previous verses were either very well-known already or short enough that they made for a real good start for this path of Scripture memorization. In contrast, this memory verse in Proverbs is probably a tougher one because it is longer and because it addresses several issues in our lives.
I really did not want to go any further in this writing or in this process without talking about memorizing a particular Scripture that you might claim as your “life verse.” That generally means that this Scripture has some special meaning, it came to you in a great time of need, it guided you like no other verse did or you learned it and the Lord made it YOUR verse. Proverbs 3:5-6 is that verse for me.
I was a very young 20 year old going through four tough years at the U.S. Air Force Academy when, late one summer, the girlfriend I thought I loved more than anyone else on earth decided to break up with me. I won’t bore you with the details, but I was pretty sure my happy life was over and didn’t know what to do.
My dear, sweet mother wrote me a letter very quickly after this event and shared with me her life verse, Prov 3:5-6. She recommended that I memorize it, quote it and “hide it in my heart” to help me through this part of my life.
I followed mom’s recommendation. It took me a while to memorize. After all, it is two verses and I was trying to memorize it with “thine” and “thy” in there too. (I find it perfectly fine to substitute “my” for those words. You can too.)
Memorizing that Scripture, saying it to myself, over and over again so many times, not only did I end up learning the verse, but it also worked its way deep into my heart, where it could minister to my need, give me comfort, assurance and direction and show me that it would stay with me as a guiding principle for the rest of my life.
If you don’t get anything else from my writing on this topic, this has always been, for me, the absolutely most important reason for memorizing and hiding the Word in my heart. This is why I am so passionate about it. I know that not only will this keep me from sin, not only will it comfort me in times of need, not only will it give me direction in life, but it will always remain with me as I walk through this life trying to become more and more like my Savior and Lord.
Well, shortly after this event, Sharon and I got back together and started dating again. You can relate my memorizing that Scripture to success with getting back together with Sharon any way you want. The real lesson I learned is that this Scripture was true…if I trusted in the Lord, with all my heart, if I didn’t try to use my understanding to see everything, if I acknowledged the Lord in everything in my life, He promised to direct my paths.
I did consider that His direction might not include me getting back with my girlfriend like I wanted to. But I wanted Jesus to direct my paths more than I wanted to have my way. And, like so many more times later in my life, He proved that this Scripture was for me and that it was true! You need a verse that does that for you.
A little over one year later, Sharon was driving to a Baptist Student Union Bible Study in Colorado Springs when a drunk driver crossed into her lane, hit her car head on and killed her instantly. My heart was broken, but I trusted Him with all of it. I sure didn’t understand why He would have taken the woman I was sure I would marry someday away from me, but He showed me I didn’t need to understand.
I cried a lot. I sang at her funeral. I did my best through that trial to acknowledge Him in everything I did and said. Through all of that, He directed my paths again. The Word is true! It always will be. You can put all your faith in Him alone. And, He definitely has a plan and a path for you that will help you walk through life.
I have kept this verse closest to my heart and He has never failed to fulfill its promise. This verse helped me through four hard years at the Academy to graduation. It helped me through all the successes and failures, all the ups and downs in a 23 year Air Force career. It helped me go along those paths where He led while flying for UPS for 22 years.
That verse helped me and my wonderful wife Cheryl as we raised four great children and tried to be examples to them. It is helping us both now as we struggle with the effects of a stroke Cheryl had and how I am handling prostate cancer. The promises of Proverbs 3:5-6 will take us to the end of our lives and bring us safely home to heaven, having spent all these years following the paths He has directed us in.
This is one exception to this book I am writing about memorizing Scripture. You do not have to memorize MY life verse. Read the Word, let the Spirit speak to your heart, pray over this and let the Lord lead you to YOUR life verse. Memorize it here, for this particular lesson. My father’s life verse has been 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” What will your life verse be?
Questions to ponder: What is your life verse? How does it reflect the testimony of your life? You already know I have a problem with memorizing from the Living Bible. This verse states there that the Lord will “crown your efforts with success.” That hasn’t always been the case for me. I probably have learned more from my failures than I have for my successes. I don’t find elsewhere where the Lord always promises us success. Does this ring true with you too? Several other versions say the Lord will “make your paths straight” instead of “He will direct your paths.” Like me, have you found while following the Lord that many times the way He directs you in appears to be anything but straight. Does it seem like lots of turns and stops make up the way of His paths for you?
Other texts/Scriptures to examine on the topic: Feel free to choose any Scripture for your life verse from this book. But remember, this is YOUR life verse. Find the one the Lord speaks to you clearly about. The advice of dear friends, parents or other family members can be helpful. Find the verse that speaks most to your heart and to your life.
 
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