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Answer
Proverbs 3:6 provides instruction and a promise: “In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (NKJV). It is wonderful to desire to acknowledge the Lord and closely follow His guidance. Expanding on this, Proverbs 3:5 states, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Therefore, acknowledging God begins with trusting Him and not relying on our own wisdom.
Acknowledging God in all our ways means to “know Him” (which is a possible translation from Hebrew). It involves recognizing that God is the One who operates in our lives with power, wisdom, goodness, and justice (see Ephesians 3:20). He is deserving of our obedience.
Here are several areas of practical significance in the life of a Christian who aims to acknowledge the Lord in all their ways:
• We will start acknowledging God in all our ways when we reflect on how completely God has forgiven us. The Lord loves you deeply and has forgiven you entirely. Reflect on Psalm 103:11–12; Romans 8:1; Colossians 1:22.
• We will develop the habit of acknowledging God in all our ways by faithfully reading the Word of God. It serves as your manual to understand God and mature in His wisdom. There is always something new to uncover in Scripture. Embrace it. Study it. Memorize it. Reflect on its teachings. While reading, observe God’s attributes—His nature. Identify a truth you need to embrace, and identify an action you need to take. Apply it to your life.
• To acknowledge God in all our ways, we must allow the Bible to shape us. Be humble and willing to obey. This way, we engage in our sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5;Titus 2:11-14). If the Word illuminates your soul and exposes a sin in your life, be prepared to confess and abandon it. GenGenuinely repent of the sin and ask God to help you to do what is right—whatever it takes! If you feel you have been “directing your own path,” ask the Lord for forgiveness, naming the specific occasions when you know you were running your own way. Thank Him for His forgiveness, and make it your goal to please the Lord, “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.” (2 Corinthians 5:9).
• A major part of acknowledging God in all our ways is to “pray continually,” “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). God loves you. He cares about you and wants a relationship with you—not that you follow a legalistic, self-defeating list of rules that leaves you wondering if you ever can “do enough.” Share with your Heavenly Father your joys, fears, goals, desires, and failures. We can’t hide our thoughts from God, anyway, and we shouldn’t try. Pray the words of Scripture. Worship Him. Thank Him for His blessings and for the trials, because you know He will work all things together for good, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). Pray when you have your time with Him in the Word and carry on a continual conversation with Him throughout the day wherever you are.
• To help us acknowledge God in all our ways, we should be part of a good, Bible-believing church (Hebrews 10:24-25). We do not go to church simply to meet our own needs, but to be an encouragement to others. Our church family becomes our extended spiritual family. As you grow in maturity, you will discover a desire to serve. God will place inYour heart is an area of ministry, and when you start to serve, it will bring joy to yourself and others. Your pastor can guide you to where you can utilize your gifts to serve the Lord.
Second Peter 1:3–11 illustrates what growth in Christlikeness resembles. Verse 3 states, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” God has provided us His divine resources—all we require—to empower us to live for Him.
The more you understand God, the more you will love Him. The more you love Him, the more you will desire to obey Him because you know that will please Him. The path won’t always be easy, but if we trust Him, we can rest in His will for us and allow Him to direct our paths.
Acknowledging God in all your ways can be described as follows: “Set Him before you; always have Him in view; consider Him as ever present with you, observing every step you take; and do not take one step without His permission and without His advice; seek wisdom from Him who gives generously; consult His word, and make the Scriptures your counselors…; take Him as your guide; observe the workings of His providence; follow the Lamb wherever He goes; do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit; when things go wrong and adverse, and not to your liking, submit to His sovereignty; be calm and know that He is God, who does all things right, for His own glory and His people’s good, Psalm 46:10; and when things succeed, give Him all the glory; acknowledge His hand in it, and the generosity of it; recognize that all you have, in providence and grace, comes from Him” «In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.», (John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible, “Proverbs 3:6”).
