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• The only way we can make sure that our lives work the way they’re supposed to is if we trust God at every level.
• Transition: In Proverbs 3:5–6, Solomon points out three specific times when it most crucial to trust God.

• When life takes unexpected turns, you don’t have to understand everything that’s happening. Instead, you need to put your trust in God.
• Genesis 16—Abraham and Sarah didn’t understand God’s promise of a son, and so took control, and had Abraham take Hagar as his surrogate wife. When Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, God let them know that his word was not yet fulfilled, and Sarah would bear Issac.
• Illustration: When pilots fly at night, they have a panel of instruments to guide them since they can’t see where they’re going These gauges are a thousand times more reliable than the pilot’s own sense of direction.
• Your own sense of understanding will not get you through life, but trusting God when you don’t understand, will.

• It’s not just the big decisions we need to trust God with; we need to turn to him on any decision.
• Leaving God out of one area of your life can lead to the destruction of the other areas.
• The way you manage the different areas of your life comes down to the kind of decisions you make.
• In all your decisions, you need to acknowledge God, and let him play his role in that decision.
• Making a decision the way God wants you to is a way of trusting God.

• When the future seems cold and dreary, put your trust in God because he can handle it with certainty.
• God makes your path straight by giving you a sense of identity.
• Trusting God means that you don’t have to try to make sense of all the areas of your life—he will make sense of them for you.

• Trust and obedience go hand in hand. By obeying God, you show that you trust him.
• Illustration: In this brief illustration, Bill Hybels learns that the only way to know if a parachute works is to jump and find out.
• There’s only one way to find out if trusting God works, and while it is a leap of faith, it’s not a blind leap. God has never failed anyone yet.
• Illustration: May was driving late at night in a bad neighborhood, and though he was lost, he didn’t ask for directions. When he gave in and asked for directions, he found his destination easily.
• When it comes to getting your life together, you can either wander in the dark, trying to figure out on your own how to get there, or you can follow the directions God has given you.