Question: We live in a world that admires competence, celebrates self-reliance and quietly assumes that trusting God is for the weak. Most of us are taught, directly or indirectly, that life goes better when we stay in control. But does it?

Answer: One of the most beloved passages in the Bible asks us to reconsider that assumption: “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 paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Trusting God does not mean becoming irresponsible or passive. It does not mean shutting off your brain or refusing to plan. The Bible never condemns wisdom, preparation or hard work. What it challenges is the idea that our own understanding is enough to carry the full weight of life.

Sooner or later, every person discovers the limits of control.

You can be responsible, intelligent, organized and hardworking – and still receive one phone call that changes everything. Health fails. Relationships fracture. Careers collapse. The future refuses to cooperate with our plans. Life has a way of exposing how little control we actually possess. That’s why the Bible calls us to trust.

The Hebrew word for “trust” here in Proverbs carries the idea of placing your full weight upon something. Trust is not mere agreement that God exists. Trust is where you lean when your own strength runs out. And interestingly, the self-reliant person and the anxious person often share the same struggle: both feel they must hold everything together themselves.

But perhaps the greatest illusion we carry is the illusion of control.

The promise of Proverbs is not that life will always be easy. It is that God will straighten the path of the one who trusts him. He does not merely offer advice from a distance; He walks with those who lean on him. So maybe the real question is not, “Can I handle this?” Maybe the better question is: “Have I handed this to God?” Because trusting God is not the abandonment of responsibility. It is the surrender of control. 

Rev. Jon T. Karn
Light on the Corner Church, Montrose
pastorjon@lightonthecorner.org