Devotions with Pastor Fran Ruecker

“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 straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

As I sit here this morning and I get to thinking about retirement and what that might look like, I find myself trying to calculate all it will look like and try to figure out how I am going to make things fit into my human design. Twenty years is a long time with many friends and many memories and sometimes I find myself questioning if this is the right choice for me. Moving is very scary for me. I have lived 43 years in the same house and raised all my children there, so there are many memories there. But then the reality sets in that I am called of God to be His hands and feet and His voice and I have to follow where He is leading. Then God will give me a scripture to hang on to like the one for today in Proverbs 3:5-6 and the feeling of being overwhelmed and all the agonizing over whether this step or decision is right or not vanishes and I know I am to fully lean on Him and NOT on my own understanding.

To “lean” (Hebrew: Shaw-an) on God literally means “to put all of your weight on” the wisdom and love of the Lord. It is to completely rely on, and completely rest in, the One who knows all and supplies all. He is the One who can make our paths straight.

But I think that sometimes I make things too complicated or harder than it needs to be because I begin to run every possible scenario in my mind. What if this and what if that…and I begin to obsess about what the future looks like. Then I realize that isn’t what God would have me to do because that isn’t fully leaning or “putting my whole weight” on His understanding.

I remember then that to acknowledge Him is to know deep in my spirit who my God is and I am confident that He sees all and is working all things out for my good. Then the peace comes that He has it all under control and I need to just continue to walk beside Him and hold on to His hand as we walk this new journey together. Trusting and leaning on His Word (His understanding) and He will make my paths straight!

Blessings,
Pastor Fran