Lead Me Anyway - "Make it make sense.” | Dr. Khalid Griffin

Devotional

Day 1: Sitting Down Before Knowing the Chair’s Specs

A man sits without inspecting the chair’s weight limit or origin story—he simply obeys. Trust thrives not in certainty of outcomes but in confidence in the One who directs the journey. Like sitting in an unknown chair, faith requires surrendering the need to control variables. God invites dependence that bypasses fact-checking, committee meetings, and contingency plans. When He says “move,” the only logical response is to plant your weight fully on His promise. This posture honors Yahweh, the self-sufficient “I AM” who needs no disclaimers. [16:45]

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
(Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been demanding technical manuals or safety guarantees before obeying God’s nudge? What would it look like to “sit down” in that area today?

Day 2: Yahweh’s Name as Your Seatbelt

The all-caps “LORD” in Proverbs 3:5 isn’t a title—it’s Yahweh, the God who exists beyond human contingency plans. Trusting Him means buckling into His eternal “I AM” nature rather than our temporary “what ifs.” Like a seatbelt designed to hold during impact, Yahweh’s self-sufficiency secures us through life’s sharpest turns. His name alone answers every “how?” and “why?” we shout on winding roads. Leaning here means resting in the One who engineered the journey. [18:06]

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
(Exodus 3:14, ESV)

Reflection: What current uncertainty loses its power when you remember God’s name isn’t “I WILL BE WHAT YOU NEED” but “I AM WHAT YOU NEED”?

Day 3: The Water Glass Test for Divided Trust

Imagine pouring trust like water into multiple cups labeled Career, Relationships, Savings, and God. Proverbs demands a single vessel. Trusting God “with all your heart” means smashing every backup cup. This isn’t about perfect focus but daily returning spilled water to its proper container. Each intentional pour into Christ weakens the grip of false securities. The struggle isn’t failure—it’s refusing to hide extra cups “just in case.” [20:45]

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
(Proverbs 3:5, ESV)

Reflection: Which “cup” have you been refilling this week when anxious? What practical step could drain its power today?

Day 4: Leaning Like a Man on a Wobbly Stool

Bobby’s staged lean illustrates the difference between flimsy self-reliance and firm God-dependence. Human understanding shifts like unbalanced furniture; Yahweh stands immovable. Trusting our logic is like steadying ourselves on a folding chair—functional until life adds weight. Proverbs invites us to fall backward into the Father’s arms, not forward into spreadsheets and pros/cons lists. True stability comes from what (Who) we lean against, not our balancing skills. [23:59]

Do not lean on your own understanding.
(Proverbs 3:5, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you white-knuckling life’s “folding chair” instead of resting in God’s reinforced concrete? What’s one fear keeping you upright?

Day 5: MapQuest Faith vs. Yahweh’s Detours

The pastor’s wrong-turn road trip mirrors our resistance to divine rerouting. We crave MapQuest certainty—turn-by-turn instructions printed in advance. God offers GPS trust: real-time adjustments through His Spirit. Submission means celebrating detours as part of the route, not proof you heard wrong. Every “recalculating” moment trains us to value the Driver over the dashboard. Arrival matters less than who we become en route. [33:31]

In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
(Proverbs 3:6, ESV)

Reflection: What current “detour” frustrates you most? How might this bend in the road be straightening your trust muscles?

Sermon Summary

Uncertainty is not the same thing as trust. Certainty says confidence comes from having the information, knowing the outcome, seeing the dangers, and calculating what will be lost or gained. Trust says confidence comes because God is involved. The lack of certainty, then, becomes an opportunity to trust. When the road is unclear, the heart posture is still, “Lead me anyway.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 pushes against the desire to make every instruction make sense before obedience begins. The desire to please God can coexist with a stronger desire for logic, reason, and understanding. Jeremiah saw his youth, Moses saw his speech impediment, Gideon saw his low position, Abraham and Sarah saw their age, and Mary asked how the promise could happen. Their questions were real, but God’s call was still standing.

Proverbs presents wisdom as a cheat code to a quality life. The rhythm of the text is simple: command, commitment. Solomon gives commands in the odd verses, then God’s commitments show up in the even verses. “If I will, You will.” Trusting God is not blind or unreasonable because Yahweh is the self-sufficient “I am that I am.” God does not need anybody or anything to provide, heal, direct, or sustain His people.

Trust in the Lord requires more than believing God exists or believing He saves from hell. Trust means feeling secure, leaning on, relying on, and placing full confidence in Him. The chair image makes the point plain: sitting down does not require a full investigation of the chair’s origin, capacity, or construction. God calls for that kind of vulnerable dependence when He says move, stop, or go.

The heart cannot be divided between God and money, relationships, jobs, status, validation, or things. The heart includes the mind, will, desires, thought process, and contemplation. Perfect trust is not the demand, but conscious and intentional dependence is. The heart must keep checking itself and saying, “That is not my source. God is my source.”

Human understanding cannot carry the weight because it is flawed, finite, and filtered through pain, trauma, emotions, expertise, and experience. God sees around the corner while human reasoning only sees up the street. God promises to show the path, but He does not promise to explain why, reveal how long it is, or expose every problem waiting on it. Position often matters more than feeling prepared, because preparation comes en route. If everything must make sense first, God’s lead will never be followed.

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Key Takeaways

1. Uncertainty can become an invitation to trust. Uncertainty does not prove that God is absent or that the path is wrong. It exposes whether confidence rests in information or in God’s involvement. Faith does not require every answer before taking the next step. [03:47]
2. Trust rests in Yahweh, not outcomes. Yahweh is self-sufficient, eternal, and never dependent on outside resources to provide what His people need. Trust becomes reasonable because the One being trusted is “I am that I am.” The heart can sit down in God’s care because His ability is not limited by the situation. [18:06]
3. A divided heart weakens dependence on God. Money, relationships, status, work, and validation can become competing sources of security. God does not ask for a percentage of the heart while everything else receives the rest. Dependence grows as the heart keeps returning its confidence to its true source. [20:45]
4. Human understanding cannot bear ultimate weight. Human judgment is flawed, finite, and shaped by personal filters. Pain and experience can interpret the same situation differently from what God sees. God sees around the corner, so leaning on Him is safer than trying to hold life together with limited sight. [25:16]
5. Preparation often comes while moving. God may reveal the path without revealing every reason, danger, or timeline. Wisdom, patience, mercy, and insight often arrive along the way rather than before the journey starts. Positioning for obedience can matter more than feeling fully ready.

## [30:09]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:46] - The Reality of Uncertainty
[02:28] - Certainty Versus Trust
[04:26] - Lead Me Anyway
[05:22] - Proverbs 3:5-6
[06:26] - When Logic Competes With Obedience
[08:25] - Biblical Questions That Did Not Make Sense
[10:57] - Wisdom as a Cheat Code
[12:06] - Command and Commitment
[14:16] - What Trust Really Means
[17:46] - Trusting Yahweh, the Great I Am
[20:45] - Trusting God With All the Heart
[22:58] - Do Not Lean on Understanding
[27:29] - Submission and God’s Direction
[30:09] - Preparation Comes En Route
[34:08] - If Everything Must Make Sense

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” [05:22]

Exodus 3:14
“God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And he said, 'Say this to the people of Israel: 'I AM has sent me to you.” [18:06]

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” [20:45]

Observation questions

In Proverbs 3:5–6, what are believers commanded to do, and what does God promise to do in response?
What examples of uncertainty or hesitation are seen in the lives of Jeremiah, Moses, Gideon, Abraham and Sarah, and Mary? [08:25]
What does the name Yahweh reveal about God’s ability to provide, guide, and sustain His people? [18:06]
According to the message, what competing sources can divide a person’s heart from wholehearted trust in God? [20:45]

Interpretation questions

How does Proverbs 3:5–6 distinguish trusting God from simply having enough information to feel certain? [03:43]
Why is it important that trust is placed in Yahweh—the self-sufficient “I AM”—rather than in a desired outcome or a clear plan? [18:19]
What does it mean in practical terms for a believer not to “lean” on personal understanding when their experience, pain, emotions, or fears may shape how they see a situation? [25:16]
God promises to direct the path, but does not promise to explain every reason, timeline, or obstacle. How can that truth shape a believer’s understanding of obedience? [28:41]

Application questions

Where is uncertainty most present in your life right now—family, health, work, finances, relationships, or a decision ahead? What would it sound like for you to pray, “Lead me anyway,” in that situation? [04:25]
Is there an area where the desire for logic, proof, or complete understanding has become stronger than the desire to obey God? What is one next step of obedience that may be clear even if the whole path is not? [07:31]
When pressure rises, what are you most tempted to lean on for security: money, a relationship, your job, status, approval, or your own ability? How can you consciously remind your heart that God is your true source? [21:50]
Think about a recent decision or concern. How might limited information, past pain, emotions, or personal experience be affecting the way you are interpreting it? What would it look like to bring that interpretation under God’s wisdom? [26:21]
Is there a place where you have been waiting to feel fully prepared before moving forward? What might it look like to get in position through one faithful step, trusting that some preparation comes along the way? [30:03]
What practice could help you seek God’s will in “all” you do this week—prayer before a decision, Scripture, wise counsel, surrendering your preferences, or pausing before reacting? [27:24]

Sermon Clips

42s

“Here's here's what I believe the holy spirit revealed to me. There are times, put this thing in your notes. There are times that it's more important to be in position than to feel prepared. He's, I got you. There are times that it is more important to be in position than to feel prepared. What? Here's the secret sauce. Sometimes your preparation for your position won't happen until you move towards where God has called you to be.”

49s

“He he promises that he will show us which path to take. He does not promise to explain why this is the path. He promised that he will direct our path, but the Bible does not indicate that he will explain why this is the path. He promises that he will show us the path, but he does not promise to reveal how long the path will be. Here's the one that stings a little bit. He'll show us which way to go, but won't tell us the problems on the path.”

33s

“So if you're waiting for everything to fall in your lap at once before you move, you may not get anything because there are certain things, watch this, that you get along the way. That's more wisdom. That's more patience. That's more love. That's more mercy. So we want all the wisdom, the love, and the mercy before we move. But God is saying, some things you won't get into. You start moving towards the position I've called you to, and your preparation comes en route to the position I've called you to. But if you're afraid to start the path, you won't get the patience, you won't get the wisdom, you won't get the insight.”

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Lead Me Anyway - "Make it make sense.” | Dr. Khalid Griffin | Redemption ChurchFW