Life Is a Journey: Trusting God With Your Whole Heart (Proverbs 3:5–6)
- The Love Church
- 6 days ago
- 6 min read
Life Really Is a Journey (And We’re All On One)
Well… life is a journey, isn’t it?
We’re born into this world, we learn to walk, we learn to talk. We go to school, maybe college, maybe Bible school. We get married, become moms and dads, have children and grandchildren… we work jobs, change jobs, maybe stay home (which is absolutely a job), and some of us even retire—and start trying new things like hatching baby chicks or making homemade egg noodles for the first time. 😄
We’re on a journey—and it’s an adventure.
And here’s what’s true: we don’t always know what’s ahead. We don’t know what the future holds… but we know who holds our future.
Two Kinds of Journeys (One’s Fun… One’s “Ouch”)
1) The traveling kind (the fun kind)
A journey can be “an act of traveling from one place to another.” Vacation. New sights. Mountains. Cruises. Road trips.
But even on the fun journey:
cars break down
flights get missed (Mexico City… long story 😅)
weather changes plans
GPS takes you through cow pastures on bumpy back roads and you wonder if it’s right or wrong
And still… most of the time, you get there sooner or later.
2) The personal-change kind (the hard kind)
The second definition is “a long and often difficult process of personal change and development.”
Ouch… right? Doesn’t sound fun at all.
But the truth is: most of us experience both kinds of journeys—ups and downs, ins and outs—on this long and winding road. (Yes, that Beatles reference made it in there!)
God Brought Us Here on Purpose (And That Matters)
Today, our life journeys brought us together as the family of God at The Love Church—and that’s something to thank the Lord for. Some have been here nearly their whole lives; others were planted here along the way.
And on this journey, most of us discovered the truth of Jesus Christ:
we repented
turned from old ways
gave our lives to Jesus
And truly—that’s the best decision you can ever make on your journey of faith.
If You’re Not There Yet…
If you haven’t surrendered to Jesus, it’s no accident that you’re here. God has a way of leading people right where they need to be.
John 3:16 says God loved the world so much He gave His Son, so whoever believes in Him won’t perish but have everlasting life. And “believe” isn’t just agreeing with a fact—it’s living by it… trusting Him.
What “Trust” Really Means (And Why We Need Reminders)
Trust means to rely confidently—to feel safe, secure, without care, absolutely convinced. And as believers, we’re called to put our trust in the Lord in everything and in every way.
That’s why so many of us love:
Proverbs 3:5–7
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
Lean not on your own understanding
In all your ways acknowledge Him
And He will direct your paths
Not part of your heart—all of it.
We Don’t Have to Be Afraid (God Watches Over Us)
The Bible stacks promise on top of promise—and it’s worth repeating because life tries to shake us.
Matthew 6:26 — God feeds the birds… how much more valuable are you?
Luke 12:6–7 — not one sparrow is forgotten; even the hairs on your head are numbered
Hebrews 13:5 — He will never leave us or forsake us
Psalm 124:8 — our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth
Fun Facts That Preach: Our Helper Made Heaven and Earth
A small globe shows up, and the point is simple:
God made all of this. The earth, oceans, land, animals, birds, you and me, the sun, moon, stars, galaxies—everything.
Then come the “fun facts”:
The moon is about 238,856 miles from Earth
The sun is about 93 million miles away
Alpha Centauri is about 4.37 light years away (and a light year is 5.88 trillion miles)
Earth’s circumference is about 25,000 miles
And the “so what?” is the sermon:
We have nothing to fear. We have a great big God.
It even pulls in that kids’ church classic:
“My God is so big, so strong and so mighty… there’s nothing my God cannot do!”
Faith: Sitting in the Chair (Not Just Thinking About It)
Here’s a picture I love: a chair gets brought up, and Josh sits down in it.
Because faith is like that.
If the chair is sturdy, you sit confidently and it holds you up. If it’s rickety, you hesitate. And the sermon connects it to this truth:
“Underneath are the everlasting arms.” 2026-02-22
You may not “see” the arms, but by faith you know they’re there—holding you up.
And that’s why 2 Corinthians 5:7 matters so much:
“We walk by faith and not by sight.”
Not by sight… and not by feelings either. Even when things aren’t lining up the way we hoped, we keep trusting—because Jesus has changed our lives.
The Heroes of Faith (Hebrews 11) Had Journeys Too
Then the message turns to Hebrews 11—the heroes of faith.
These people went through things most of us have never faced:
imprisonment
torture
persecution
wandering
loss
trials that seem almost unimaginable
And yet they trusted God.
And here’s the kicker: they didn’t even have Jesus on the scene yet like we do.
So what’s the answer when we’re tempted to doubt or get discouraged?
Hebrews 12:1–2: Keep Your Eyes on Jesus
Lay aside the weights. Deal with the sin. Run with patience the race set before you—and keep looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Stay close. Stay tight. Don’t drift. (And yes, the sermon gets very honest about what happens when we don’t.)
Trials Can Grow You Up (James 1:2–4)
This part is so needed because we all face trials, temptations, struggles, and discouragements on our journey.
James says:
consider it joy when you fall into various trials
the testing of your faith produces endurance
endurance leads to maturity and inner peace
God wants to grow us up—not keep us as children in the faith. And He uses pressure to strengthen us as we keep pressing into Him.
“Jesus and Joanie Can Do It” (A Personal Story of God’s Faithfulness)
The sermon shares a powerful moment from about 25 years ago—discouragement, overwhelm, sitting in a recliner, moaning and groaning.
And then, in Our Daily Bread, God used one bold sentence to speak:
“Jesus and Joanie can do it.”
That was enough to get up, praise God, and keep going.
Sometimes faith looks like that—one sentence from God that pulls you off the floor.
God Is Faithful (Even When We’re Not)
The sermon keeps repeating the anchor:
God is faithful.
And the Scripture list is a feast:
Deuteronomy 7:9 — He keeps covenant and mercy to a thousand generations
1 Corinthians 1:9 — God is faithful
1 Corinthians 10:13 — He provides a way of escape in temptation
2 Timothy 2:13 — if we are faithless, He remains faithful
2 Thessalonians 3:3 — He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one
That’s not hype. That’s our foundation.
A “Blessed Journey” Checklist (Proverbs 3:1–10)
To close, the message leans into Proverbs 3 in a “life scripture” way—how to have a blessed journey:
don’t forget God’s teaching
let mercy, kindness, and truth define you
trust and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart
don’t rely on your own understanding
fear the Lord and turn away from evil
honor the Lord with your life (and yes, your resources too)
It’s practical. It’s daily. It’s doable—with the Holy Spirit helping.
Peace Replaces Anxiety (Philippians 4:6–7)
Anxiety is the opposite of trust—and it’s everywhere in our culture.
But Scripture says:
be anxious for nothing
pray about everything
present your requests with thanksgiving
and God’s peace will guard your heart and mind
That peace “passes understanding”—meaning you can’t always explain it… but you can live in it.
If you’re in a season where the journey feels uncertain, here’s the invitation:
Don’t do it alone. Don’t do it in your own strength. Let Jesus take the wheel—and you can enjoy the ride.
Support the Mission
If this message encouraged you, prayerfully consider supporting The Love Church as we continue to share God’s Word and reach our community with the love of Jesus.
You can also watch the full sermon on our Youtube page below.
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