Whose Side Are You Leaning On?
Tuesday, May 19
Whose Side Are You Leaning On?
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
On April 3, 2020 singer Bill Withers passed away. He was famously known for many hits, one in particular known to everyone ‘Lean On Me’. In this song Withers says we should call on each other for a helping hand but, I prefer the way it’s written in the Psalms – trust in and lean on God. Here “lean on” is used in the sense of relying upon or trusting someone or something for help or protection. The object of our secure trust is the Lord, a most reliable object of confidence!
When we sit on a chair or lean against wall, we trust that it can and it will support our weight. If it should fail to do its job, we will fall to the ground and possibly be hurt. In a figurative sense, in times of distress we lean on family or friends; we rely upon them for encouragement, support, help, or protection. In this verse, “lean on” functions figuratively. Relying on our own understanding is compared to resting on the chair or leaning on a wall that cannot bear our weight; it is unreliable for support and thus may cause us harm.
Likewise, it is dangerous for a person to rely upon mere human wisdom or understanding because it is likely to fail him. We are only safe when we are leaning, relying, depending on God. That “He shall direct your paths” suggests that God will “smooth” or “make straight” the road of our lives. This is a promise that God will go before us and remove many of the obstacles from our path. So if we trust Him and follow His instructions, He will lead us forward, sweeping many of our potential problems to the side. How encouraging!