Paolo Veronese, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ (ca. 1560).
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:5.
Our understanding is a wonderful gift from God. Without it human existence is unthinkable. We could not receive or pass on information, we could not reason in our minds nor act responsibly, if we had no understanding. We should therefore be grateful to our Creator for this gift.
For one thing, however, man’s understanding is quite unsuitable. It does not give us a sound foundation for our judgment or actions in questions of faith. Our relationship with God, a correct comprehension of His thoughts and our attitude towards them must all be “spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). That will only be possible, if our heart and mind are enlightened by the Holy Spirit.
For this reason the Word of God constantly addresses our heart so insistently. That is where we make all our decisions, it is also the seat of our secret wishes and motives. Whoever is subject to guidance by God’s influence is kept from making foolish conclusions and can joyfully go along the pathway of faith. His trust in the Lord is a support that will never fail.
May we never make the “tool” the master. Only when our heart with its motives and aims stands under God’s leading can our understanding be a useful tool in matters of faith. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:9.10).
Image: By Didier Descouens – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35159332