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 your paths straight.
Background
The “book” of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings (proverbs) written by several authors, but mostly by King Solomon. When his father King David died, Solomon was young and recognized his lack of the lack of wisdom that comes with age. God asked Solomon what he wanted God to do for him. Solomon asked for wisdom on how to rule the people. God said that because he asked for this rather than riches and fame, God would grant him that wisdom plus riches and fame. Much of the book of 1 Kings in the Old Testament is dedicated to documenting the life of Solomon including evidence that God granted him greater wisdom than anyone in all time. This led to fame and riches beyond our imagination. Eventually his pride overcame his wisdom and he started seeking primarily filling “self”. As is often heard among the super rich and powerful, he found all the riches and fame empty to the soul and he documented that in the book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. In the end, he wrote that the chief source of peace, joy and purpose is only found in God.
What it meant to the original audience
As seen in 1 Kings, Solomon was very influential because of his wisdom. Important people from distant lands would travel to meet him. Getting to spend time with Solomon was highly desired.
For us today
As highlighted frequently on our website, God calls Himself our parent and us His children. Not all children have loving and wise parents. Those that do will hopefully recognize their blessing early. For those children, the wise ones will seek a close daily relationship with their parent(s) so they can talk about life and make better life decisions. God is more loving and wise than any parent. God communicates to us in a variety of ways, but the primary way is through Bible reading and prayer. You can tell if you are leaning of “self” or your loving and wise Heavenly Father by if you are spending daily time in prayer and reading your Bible.
God, our loving and wise parent, wants to help you wisely think through your desires and plans. But God will not force Himself on you. Do you really believe God is more loving and wise than you. Your efforts to spend time with Him will show if that is true.