Does trusting God mean ignoring common sense? (Proverbs 3:5–6)
5 Trust the Lord with all your heart,
and don’t depend on your own understanding.
6 Remember the Lord in all you do,
and he will give you success. (NCV)
Proverbs 3:5 - 6
ESV - 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
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Asked March 06 2020
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Jack Gutknecht
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Danny Hickman
If a world leader told a man to bow before him and give him praise or be thrown into a fiery furnace, what would be the common sense thing for the man to do? It would be to bow. If he didn't bow it might be because he has a death wish, or he fancies himself a tough guy and would rather die than humble himself and lose his image. Or... it might be that he trusts that not bowing will give honor to God, and God will honor his sacrifice. He might be glad to be able to stand for the Lord. It matters not to him if the Lord saves him from the furnace or not, he wants to honor God even unto death. None of this is due to "common sense." Common sense doesn't play even a small part in worshipping God. Yes, trusting God means ignoring common sense.
The thing is, there's only one God; there are many "common senses." It depends on who you ask as to who is God. The same is true if you look for common sense. But God doesn't need a witness, and common sense does. God is sovereign, common sense has absolutely no power at all. God doesn't change, common sense is forever reinventing itself.
Yes, trusting God has nothing to do with common sense. Common sense is a valuable asset. It can also be a hindrance to trusting God.