"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).
This Old Testament verse appears straightforward — but is perhaps more complex than it seems.
How do the faithful let go of what they want and instead let God chart their course?
First, it's worthwhile to examine the meaning of "proverb."
BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: THE PEACE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS OF JESUS ARE FORETOLD BY THE PROPHET ISAIAH
A biblical proverb is "a short saying that expresses a universal truth for practical, godly living," according to Christianity.com.
The word "proverb" comes from the Hebrew root word meaning "to be like," that website notes.
The Book of Proverbs "is full of comparisons illustrating how various simple concepts represent the fundamental truths of life," it also says.
Biblical proverbs have provided "a significant source of practical wisdom for people of all backgrounds and education levels," the site continues.
BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: DECISIONS WE MAKE IN LIFE BRING ‘BLESSINGS AND CURSES,' SO CHOOSE WISELY
It also notes that proverbs have helped millions of people "better understand how we should live and the consequences of immoral judgment and behavior."
One faith leader from Indiana believes that Proverbs 3:5 is actually quite "simple," he said.
"We can either trust in ourselves or we can trust in God," Lucas Miles, pastor of Nfluence Church in South Bend, told Fox News Digital via email.
"The incarnation of Christ is the ultimate test of our trust in Him. Before us is the question, ‘Will I place my trust in myself, or will I look to the carpenter’s son, a mere infant, lying in a manger?’"
BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: OUR SUFFERINGS STRENGTHEN US, BRING US ‘GREAT BLESSINGS’
Miles said it’s easy to forget, especially in "this age of self-sufficiency," our own inability to save ourselves.
This, he underscored, is where we "must remember the Christ child."
Said Pastor Miles, "He came, born of a virgin, full of grace and truth, to do what we could not."
He also said, "Waiting with expectancy within the baby Messiah was the perfect life of our savior, his gruesome death on a cross and his victorious resurrection — all waiting to be lived out on our behalf."
TINY NATIVITY SCENE IS CREATED ON A SPECK OF GOLD AS MICRO-ENGRAVER SHARES HIS IMPRESSIVE WORK
Miles said that as the faithful look to Christ this season, they have the essential question to consider: Who do they turn to for life's answers?
"I pray, for our sakes, that we would take an honest assessment of our own shortcomings and sin long enough to place our trust in the Christmas child, the one for which we cry out, ‘Immanuel — Christ our Savior is born!’"
During the Advent season, stay tuned for more Bible verses of the day. To read yesterday's Bible verse, click here.
