“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways
submit to him, and he will make your paths straight”
Proverbs 3: 5-6
When picturing how God speaks to his people, I often think of the scene in Monty Pythons’ The
Holy Grail where God is pictured sitting on a throne of glowing clouds (click here to watch the
scene) with his booming voice reaching the silly troop of knights below bestowing King Arthur a
quest. Obviously, this is a dramatized and very inaccurate image of who God is and how he
speaks to us, however, one aspect of this scene holds true in our relationship with God; when
we are obedient in submitting our lives to God we give him space to speak into our lives and
show the path he has created for us.
After losing his initial quest of bringing himself and his quirky band of knights to the round
table, King Arthur is forced to abandon the path he had forged himself and is left without
direction. It is at this moment that God is given the spotlight and Arthur is given a new quest.
However, it was not solely because of the failure of his previous quest that Arthur’s path finally
became clear, perhaps God had been nudging Arthur onto a different path for quite some time.
Perhaps it took the failure of Arthur’s previous quest for him to be ready to submit his plans to
God and become obedient to the path God had laid out for him. I would like to think that I am
not like King Arthur and have the humility to read the signs before me and quickly say yes to the
plans God has for me before things begin to fall apart. However, it often takes complete failure
for me to reach the conclusion that my plans are flawed.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…”
Part of being obedient is establishing trust: trust that God has fruitful plans for you, trust that
He will bring the right friends into your life, trust that He will heal relationships that need
mending, etc. The depth of Arthur’s trust led him and sustained him throughout his quest for
the holy grail. Arthur’s obedience was not just in saying yes to God, it was continuing to say yes
to the quest despite countless roadblocks, weird wizards, and terrifying bunnies.
“In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Reading this sounds simple but how can we adequately submit our lives to God? Well, being
obedient is part of our daily cross that we are called to bear as followers of Christ. Just like
loving your spouse, parents, and friends is a daily choice, so is obedience. To be obedient, we
must invite God into every aspect of our lives and listen for his direction. One way to listen for
His direction is to be in close relationship through prayer: pray for guidance in your career, in
your relationships, in your day-to-day encounters with others, during your workouts, and the
list goes on and on. Bring God into every space of your life, invite him to guide you, and be
willing to trust and be obedient even when His plans shift your own.
While listening for God’s guidance may not be as clear as in The Holy Grail, one thing is certain,
when we choose obedience, God’s plans for our lives become clear.
Reflection Questions:
What are some areas of your life that you feel anxious to submit to God?
What is holding you back from submitting parts of your life to God?
Guided Prayer:
God, thank you for your continual guidance, grace, and peace as you walk with me through the
highs and lows of life. I ask that you would give me discernment to be able to hear your will for
my life. I ask also for trust in choosing to be obedient in the path you have laid out for me, that you know what is best for me and for your kingdom, Amen.