When We Do Not Know

In this Sunday evening message from Proverbs 3:5-6, Pastor Covalt begins with a simple admission: people like to know. They like to understand what is happening, how things work, what steps to take, and how a problem can be solved. No one enjoys being confused, lost, or stuck in a conversation or situation where he has no idea what is going on.

That desire to know is not wrong by itself. People learn how things are made, how machines work, how to solve puzzles, how to fix cars, and how to improve through knowledge. Pastor Covalt uses the picture of a Rubik's cube because he naturally likes to analyze problems, look at every piece, and figure out how the puzzle fits together. Many people approach life the same way. If there is a problem, they want to know what happened, why it happened, and what steps will fix it.

But Proverbs 3:5-6 speaks to the place where human understanding reaches its limit: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." The message is for those moments when the pieces do not make sense and the believer has to say, "I don't know."

The Limits Of Our Own Understanding

Pastor Covalt applies this directly to personal problems and to Victory Baptist Church's building situation. There may be options that are technically possible, but that does not mean they are what God wants. The church could force certain arrangements, accept heavy limitations, and try to make the situation work by sheer effort. Yet the real question is not only what can be done. The real question is what God wants His people to trust Him for.

The message connects this to 1 Corinthians 14:33 and Philippians 4:7. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. The peace of God passes all understanding and keeps hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Instead of trying to force every piece into place by their own understanding, believers can bring the problem to God and rest in the peace that He gives.

Trust God With The Puzzle

The church context gives the message urgency. VBC was facing a decision about its future meeting place, and the pressure could have pushed the congregation toward forcing a solution. Pastor Covalt does not deny the need to think, plan, and act wisely. He points out that planning must stay under trust. When a door seems burdensome, restrictive, or contrary to what God is doing, the church needs more than clever problem solving. It needs dependence on the Lord.

Trust God With The Puzzle

The Rubik's cube illustration becomes a picture of the church and of life. Individual pieces may not seem to make sense by themselves. People may see one piece, one problem, one relationship, one need, or one moment of uncertainty, but God sees the whole picture. Without the center, the pieces cannot become what they are meant to be. Pastor Covalt compares that center to Christ. VBC is not ultimately a building. The church is people centered around Christ.

The same truth applies to personal health problems, financial problems, relationship problems, and family needs. People spend time trying to puzzle together what is broken, but God has given His Word and has pointed His people to Himself. Even when a believer cannot find every exact detail of his situation, Scripture reveals who God is and teaches him where to place his trust.

Even When We Do Not Know, We Still Know

God is there. This is the first stated point. Pastor Covalt supports it with Psalm 23, Matthew 28, Psalm 145, and Romans 8:38-39. The believer may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but God is with him. Christ promised to be with His people always. The Lord is near to those who call upon Him. Nothing can separate believers from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

This matters because uncertainty often makes people feel isolated. They may not know the next step, the solution, or the outcome, but they are not alone. Whether someone is in a crowd, in church, at home, or alone in a closet, God is there. The answer to "I don't know" begins with the presence of God.

God has a plan. This is the second stated point. Pastor Covalt points to Jeremiah 29, Proverbs 16, Romans 8:28, and Psalm 37. A person's heart may devise his way, but the Lord directs his steps. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and even when he falls, he will not be utterly cast down because the Lord upholds him.

The application is both personal and corporate. A person may have ambitions, plans, and expectations, but his life was bought with the blood of Christ. That means believers should ask how God wants to use them. The church should ask where God wants to use VBC. God's plan is not always visible at the moment of confusion, but it is real, wise, and good.

God is in control. This is the third stated point. Pastor Covalt uses Deuteronomy 31 and Isaiah 41 to remind the church that God will not fail or forsake His people. He strengthens, helps, and upholds them. The congregation may face a corporate unknown, and individual believers may face their own unknowns, but uncertainty does not remove God's control.

The closing application gathers the message into one sentence: when believers say, "I don't know," they should not let that be the end of the statement. They can say, "I don't know, but God does." They still know God is there. They still know God has a plan. They still know God is in control. They still know God is good, holy, loving, all knowing, all powerful, caring, and faithful.

Trust In The Lord

The message does not make uncertainty sound easy. It names real unknowns: church decisions, financial needs, health problems, family burdens, relationship repairs, and the next step when no step looks clear. But it also refuses to let uncertainty become final. The believer may lack an explanation, but he is not left without truth.

Trust In The Lord

The message returns to Proverbs 3:5-6 at the end. Trusting the Lord with all the heart means refusing to make one's own understanding the final authority. Acknowledging Him in all ways means bringing every uncertainty, every decision, every church need, and every personal burden under His rule. He is able to direct the path when His people cannot see how the pieces fit together.

Even when believers do not know what comes next, they still know the God who does. That knowledge does not answer every question immediately, but it gives them enough to trust, pray, wait, and obey.