In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].

Proverbs 3:6

It’s kind of amazing. We have a relationship with the most powerful, loving, and wisest being in the universe, but sometimes we live our lives as though He doesn’t exist. Because He’s invisible, we forget He is always present in all of His majesty and kindness. We need reminders to “acknowledge Him.”

We can acknowledge God in good times by thanking Him for the living, pleasant, and successful things we experience. We can acknowledge Him in times of loss by pouring out our hearts to the One who cares. We can acknowledge Him we’re we are lost or confused by asking Him for wisdom and then listening to the Spirit’s nudging. And we can acknowledge Him when we are bored by asking Him to rekindle our sense of purpose.

In our relationships on earth, we often have to work through misunderstandings and misplaced expectations. That’s true of our relationship with God, too, but we won’t enjoy the love or work through the problems with Him if we fail to first acknowledge Him.

Like loved children, we instinctively trust those who have proven they are strong and wise. We ask questions, we listen, and we follow advice. God has proven Himself to us. When we acknowledge Him, we interact; we sense His Spirit’s leading, and we follow His directions.

Success is not a destination; it’s a journey.

Zig Ziglar

We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.

C.S. Lewis

What part does God play in your life? Is He your main plan or your back up plan? Is He the top priority or just someone you use when everything else fails? Proverbs tells us that in all our ways-not in just a few or even some but in all our ways we acknowledge God. Sometimes God becomes our last resort rather than our first source. But those who acknowledge God invite Him to be part of everything in their life. They invite Him to their success parties and they seek His comfort when life goes wrong. They consult Him in every decision and seek His counsel and direction as they journey through life. Consider Abraham who acknowledged God. When God invited him on a journey to places he had never been, Abraham leaned on his relationship with God for direction and instruction. Along the way there would be times when Abraham would lean on his own ways and find himself creating problematic situations and yet we see when he would come to God and trust His ways, somehow Abraham was able to continue on the journey. Because Abraham acknowledged God, he felt no need to contend with Lot over grazing land. Instead he rested in the provision of God and the direction of God for his life and household. Because Abraham acknowledged God he was given a long awaited and desired son. In the moment when Abraham failed to acknowledge God and tried to take matters in his own hands; what a tragic misfortune when he chose to make the promise of God come to pass through Sarah’s handmaiden Hagar. Even to this day the descendants of Issac and Ishmael live in contention and strife. You see there are consequences when we acknowledge God and consequences when we fail to acknowledge God. Abraham acknowledged God in such a way that he is called the”friend of God.” Because of that friendship, Abraham was able to intercede for Sodom and Gomorrah. Though there weren’t ten righteous men in the cities so they were destroyed, yet Abraham’s nephew Lot was spared.

There is something important about acknowledging God. First of all it brings security. The very idea that the Creator of all things is involved in our lives ought to give us a sense of peace and confidence. Second of all when we acknowledge God, we have assurance that He is working in everything that touches our lives, supplies our needs, comforts us in adversity, and works all things for our good. Third of all when we acknowledge God, we find not only grace to live but grace to die. When we acknowledge God we find sufficiency in all the things that surround us and effect us. What comfort comes when we acknowledge God in all our ways. We discover the joy of having God as an indispensable part of our lives and when we make our relationship and acknowledgement of God our priority, we discover true peace and true living. Jesus told us that He came to give us life and life more abundantly. I think no one truly lives until God open up a new way of living. The abundant life is one that acknowledges God in all things. I think many of us live far beneath our privileges because we fail to acknowledge God in all our ways. Perhaps today, now, would be a good time to choose to acknowledge God in every situation in our lives. It just might be as we acknowledge God we might find life running a little smoother.

Dr. John Thompson