Proverbs 1–4; 15–16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1–3; 11–12: Lesson 110

Proverbs 3

“Trust in the Lord”

Sometimes it can be hard to trust in the Lord. But as we come to know Him, we realize that “He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world” (2 Nephi 26:24). We then can see the wisdom in trusting in Him instead of leaning “unto [our] own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). This lesson can help students choose to put their trust in the Lord.

Student preparation: Invite students to consider marking in their scriptures the key scripture phrase for the doctrinal mastery passage Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart … and he shall direct thy paths.” To prepare for class, students could practice reciting the phrase several times and ponder situations in their lives in which they will need to trust in the Lord.

Possible Learning Activities

Trust

Consider beginning class by writing the word Trust on the board. Then ask the following question while displaying the accompanying situations one at a time. Consider adapting the situations to the needs of your students.

• Whom would you be willing to trust …

  • to give you a ride home late at night?

  • with your family’s money?

  • to give you advice on whom you should date or marry?

  • to teach you about Jesus Christ and how to follow Him?

    Consider listing students’ responses to the following question on the board under the word Trust.

• What qualities would someone need for you to trust them?

Read Proverbs 3:5, pondering what it means to you. Then answer the following questions in your study journal:

• Who do you trust more: the Lord or yourself? Why?

• What is a situation in your life right now where you feel you need to trust the Lord more than yourself?

As you study the scriptures today, look for what you learn from the Holy Ghost that helps you put your trust in the Lord.

“Trust in the Lord … and lean not”

Proverbs 3:5–6 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider inviting students to mark doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so they can locate them easily.

Read Proverbs 3:5–6, looking for how you would complete the following statement: “If we …, then the Lord will …”

Invite students to share their completed statements. Seek to validate what they share. One of the truths they might share is if we trust in the Lord with all our heart, then He will direct our paths.

• What do you think it means to trust in the Lord “with all [our] heart” (verse 5)?

• What do you think it means to trust in the Lord over our “own understanding” (verse 5)?

  To help students better understand this passage, invite two students to stand about three feet away from something sturdy, such as a wall. Invite one student to lean toward the wall and use it for support. Invite the other student to lean away from the wall as far as they can before losing their balance.

• How can these examples help us better understand Proverbs 3:5–6?

  Consider organizing students into small groups. Invite students to list on a piece of paper situations where Latter-day Saint teenagers might feel tempted to use their own judgment instead of trusting the Lord’s counsel. Examples could include choosing entertainment, deciding whom or when to date, using certain language, or making educational or future goals.

  After enough time, you could display the following questions. Students could use their lists to discuss the questions in their groups.

• What might make it hard for someone to trust the Lord over leaning to their own understanding?

• What advice would you give someone to help them overcome these obstacles?

“He shall direct thy paths”

To help students increase their desire to trust in the Lord, they could study some or all of the passages below. Students could stay in their groups, and each student could read a different passage.

Read the following scripture passages, looking for why we would want to trust in the Lord instead of our own understanding:

• Isaiah 55:8–9

• 2 Nephi 4:34–35

• 2 Nephi 26:24

• Jacob 4:10

• Mosiah 4:9

  When students have finished reading their passages, invite them to share what they found with their group. A few students could then share with the class.

  If you listed trustworthy qualities on the board at the beginning of the lesson, consider asking students how the Lord demonstrates any of these qualities. Students could add to the board any further qualities of the Lord that they think of or that they found in the passages above.

• Which of the Lord’s qualities help you trust Him—even when His counsel might go against your own understanding?

  To prepare students to answer the question below, consider showing the video “Trust in the Lord” (3:30), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. In this video, young people share why they choose to trust in the Lord.

  Consider sharing your answer to the question below in addition to what students share.

• When have you or someone you know trusted in the Lord instead of your own understanding? How did He help or guide you?

Putting my trust in the Lord

To help students apply what they learned, consider inviting them to individually do the following.

Reflect on what you wrote in your study journal at the beginning of the lesson. Seek guidance from the Lord to respond to the following questions in your journal:

• What did you learn today about the Lord that encourages you to trust Him?

• What is one way you can trust the Lord with the situation that you wrote about?

• How can you do this “with all [your] heart” (Proverbs 3:5)?

It might be helpful to share your feelings about the Lord and the ways He has guided you as you have trusted in Him. Consider testifying of His ability and willingness to bless your students as they trust Him.

Memorize

You might want to help students memorize the doctrinal mastery reference and key scripture phrase during this lesson and review them in future lessons. The key scripture phrase for Proverbs 3:5–6 is “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; … and he shall direct thy paths.” Ideas for memorization activities are in the appendix materials under “Doctrinal Mastery Review Activities.”

Additional Resources

Proverbs 3:5. What does it mean to “trust in the Lord”?

Elder Richard G. Scott (1928–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

To trust means to obey willingly without knowing the end from the beginning (see Proverbs 3:5–7). To produce fruit, your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience.

To exercise faith is to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it. (“Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17)

What can help me trust in the Lord?

Sister Bonnie H. Cordon, former Young Women General President, taught:

Jesus Christ has overcome the world. And because of Him, because of His infinite Atonement, we all have great cause to trust, knowing that ultimately all will be well.

… [E]ach of us can trust in the Lord and lean not. We can center our lives on the Savior by coming to know Him, and He will direct our paths. (“Trust in the Lord and Lean Not,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 9)

What if I trust in the Lord but still do not see the blessings?

President Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:

Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. Of that I personally attest. (“An High Priest of Good Things to Come,” Ensign, Nov. 1999, 38)

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency shared:

I felt that … trust in the words of the father of another choice girl whose life was taken by cancer in her teen years. He declared, “Our family’s faith is in Jesus Christ and is not dependent on outcomes.” Those teachings ring true to me. (“Healing the Sick,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 50)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Alternative beginning

For another way to begin the lesson, you could blindfold a volunteer. Consider spinning the student once or twice to make their task a little more difficult. You could also move a few of the desks or chairs to hinder their ability to move across the room. Then ask the student to walk to the other side of the classroom. Make sure the student is safe. After a few attempts, you could ask the student to choose someone in the classroom whom they trust to help them get across.

Afterward, you could ask the student why they chose the student that they did. You then could discuss qualities of individuals whom the students would trust, as explained in the lesson.

Using imagery

You might want to help your students better understand the phrases in Proverbs 3:5–6. Consider inviting them to ponder if they have ever been in total darkness and, if so, how they felt. Then share the following statement from President Boyd K. Packer (1924–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Invite students to picture the imagery that President Packer uses:

Somewhere in your quest for spiritual knowledge, there is that “leap of faith,” as the philosophers call it. It is the moment when you have gone to the edge of the light and stepped into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two. (“The Candle of the Lord,” Ensign, Jan. 1983, 54)

You then could ask students the following:

• How does this imagery help you better understand Proverbs 3:5–6?

• When have you trusted in the Lord the way President Packer describes?

Proverbs 3:6. “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy paths”

Your students might benefit from a deeper study of Proverbs 3:6. If so, consider providing students with a piece of paper. Ask them to fold it in half. They could write Acknowledge Him at the top of one column and He shall direct thy paths at the top of the other. Invite students to keep a record over the next few days. Ask them to record ways that they acknowledge the Lord in their lives and ways that He directs their paths. Students could share their experiences in a later class.

Music video

To help your students feel the importance of trusting in the Lord, consider showing a video such as “Trust in the Lord: Music Video” (4:11). If available, consider providing students with the lyrics from the song. Invite them to find phrases that help them want to trust in the Lord.