What does it mean to "in all your ways acknowledge Him" in Proverbs 3:6?

He now enters into details in verses 5 and following. Two paths are before man - to trust God, or himself and his own wisdom for his happiness. This is just what Eve failed in; she did not confide in God, trust in Him and what He had said, for her happiness, but leaned to her own understanding, thought she should better secure it by doing what she thought would be advantageous. So every sinner; he thinks he can better secure his own happiness in doing his own will than in listening to God. Trust in God is the first positive active principle of life and wisdom; the next is owning Him in our ways, taking His will, authority, as that which is to form them, not our will and wisdom, and that openly (v. 6). He will surely direct our steps. No human wisdom can guide like that. It may be very cunning - know human nature. But God has a way which He has laid down morally for us - a path of obedience, of righteousness, and of God; and He who has done so orders all things. In the end His judgment will prevail. We may not see it prevail here - thus faith may be exercised; where His direct government is exercised, it will, but always in result. The end of the Lord is sure; heaviness may endure for a night, for a season if need be; but, for the faithful soul, joy comes in the morning, a morning near to come. But self-confidence is ruin. "Be not wise in thine own eyes" (v. 7). They do not see far if they only see self, and that is what always is in our own eyes. The fear of God, as we have seen, the moral path of His fear, is that on which He waits in goodness, however things may seem - this, and departing from all evil. This is something more than walking in His fear - there is an abhorrence of evil, partly in itself, partly as contrary to His will. I may walk in God's fear, do no evil myself, without, I think, being characterised by departing from evil. No doubt, walking rightly is not doing evil. But evil is in the world, and there is, so to speak, a positive character of relationship to it, that is, departing from it, abhorrence of it. Adam, innocent, would have walked uprightly, done nothing wrong; he would not have departed from evil, he had nothing to say to it. I have or may have. I depart from it, leave and break with it. This has to do with holiness. We have seen Jehovah owned by confidence, and in His servant's ways. It requires confidence in Him to guide one's ways by His will. Now we come to another way of owning devotedness of heart, owning all positive good and blessing to come from Him, and manifested in the ready but due offering of a willing heart. Thus blessing is found, temporal blessing; v. 8-10. It must be remembered that we are always here on the ground of present government in the earth. Higher objects may bring sorrow as regards this world, as it has ever been. Now we can only apply the principle. Peter's epistles give the degree in which this government applies to Christian standing.

Yes, it was good and right to trust in Jehovah with all the heart, and to lean not on one's own discernment, as the tempter always advises to ruin, sorrow, and shame. This is the divine counsel for the heart. But the Israelite needed also to "acknowledge Him" in all his ways. And the heart if loyal would prompt to honour Him thus. For practical inconsistency is a burden to the upright; and it is due to Jehovah to own Him where He is apt to be ignored or forgotten in each detail of walk, and in them all. Nor was it even without present fruit, for He could not be unmindful, who never slumbers or sleeps. "And He shall make straight thy paths." He is Lord of all, no less than He is the Eternal, and concerns Himself with every obstacle and difficulty for such as would walk unswervingly according to His will.

This perfect life is a life in which the LORD is the Counsellor and Guide. It is written that, "It is not in man that walks to direct his steps" (Jeremiah 10:23). And again we read, "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." It is not merely that we refer to the Lord in some great emergency, but that we habitually wait upon the Lord in the details of life, great and small. Acknowledging Him, we shall find that He guides us: then shall we be able to say, "I will bless the LORD, who has given me counsel."

Verses 5 and 6 were deeply impressed on the writer at an early age, and have no doubt spoken seriously to many others before and since that time. There are many things in which our understanding is extremely faulty, and if we depend on it, we shall be badly misled. the only safe alternative is to trust in the Lord with all our heart. that is, fully and without reserve. He will certainly not deceive us, nor is there any possibility of His making a mistake.

The whole heart certainly involves all of our ways. In every activity we should acknowledge Him, so that nothing is left simply to our own judgment. If this is so, we may have full confidence that He will direct our paths (v. 6). If we are tempted to think, because we have proven something of God's gracious guidance, that we are wise (v. 78), let us judge this immediately, but instead realize that it is only by God's wisdom that we are blessed. On our part, we are to "fear the Lord and depart from evil." If the Lord is given His place, then we recognize that evil can have no place. This response to the Lord will mean "health to your flesh and strength to your bones" (v. 8). Of course, this is not merely literal. The bones are the framework of the body, so that spiritual health and strength are implied in this, the body being the daily activity, the bones the strength by which the activity is carried out.

Now our question is, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? What wilt Thou have me to do with my time, my strength, my money, my ability?" "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct they paths" (Prov. 2:6). But the direction must come from the word of God. Sometimes we do not know what to do — we want to do what is right and we don't know what is right. Well, you lack wisdom, don't you? and "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God" (James 1:5). It shall be told you, "This is the way, walk ye in it" (Isa. 30:21).

Not only should we recognize His guidance but we should be glad to acknowledge it in all our ways and by word of mouth also. We "ought to SAY, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." And notice please that "we OUGHT to say." It is not something which we may say, and find that God approves of it. It is something we must say if we wish to give Him His proper place in our lives.

In verse 9 we have a kind of summary: "So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God." At first sight, this might appear to contradict what has been said. So far from this, it simply gives the principle on which God could bless him, and bestow upon him the prosperity and success which he enjoyed. It is in fact an illustration of the word, "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." And governmentally, it is strikingly exhibited in the whole history of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, that God ever prospered the monarchs who recognised, even outwardly only, His word, name, and authority. He has said, "Them that honour Me, I will honour," and this is verified even where the honour rendered may not proceed from a renewed soul. It is so in all dispensations. For example, if God be honoured in a household, if His name be called upon, He will in His government on earth bless that household; and so, in like manner, when affairs of daily life and business are conducted with the recognition of His name. But this is not salvation; it is temporal mercies according to the principles of God's government. (Compare 1 Peter 3:10-13.) Jotham thus prepared his ways before the Lord, and became mighty. Whether there was a work of God in his soul is not here the question. There may have been; and if so, he had blessings of another and a larger kind as his portion. But, whether so or otherwise, there is much profitable instruction for us all in this feature. Jotham prepared his ways before the Lord; there was forethought, consideration, and purpose. He was not governed by circumstances; but he carefully arranged his paths according to the will of God.

1893 306 When David left the land of Judah for the sake of his parents, though the motive abstractedly was innocent, the first of all duties was neglected. When God has His rightful place, everything is referred to "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." This necessarily stands at the head of all obedience, and this was the lesson which David was taught by his failure. Immediately on his reaching the forest of Hareth he heard that the Philistines had attacked Keilah and were plundering the threshing-floors. With the desire not to repeat his fault he enquired of the Lord. "Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the Lord said, Go, and smite the Philistines and save Keilah." But why the sword? Why does he say: — "Blessed be the LORD my strength, Who teacheth my hands to war And my fingers to fight." (Ps. 144)

But now there is another matter, and it is this. We spoke of the young man starting on the voyage of life, his hand apparently holding the tiller, and guiding the ship. Now many a young man, and even a young believer, thinks that this is not only apparently, but is really so, and that he is the architect of his own fortunes, and that it is his will that is to direct his future life. Many accept Christ as their Saviour, who have but a very faint idea of what it is to accept God as their Father; and yet the one relationship is as true as the other. And if the one makes them happy for eternity , the other is certainly the secret of true happiness for time . There is a wonderful difference between the young man who goes forth rejoicing in his own strength and sagacity, and thinks that he can outwit the world, and the humble Christian who leaves home placing the tiller of the little vessel of his life into his Father's hand, and trusts Him to guide him aright through the dangers and difficulties of each day. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Do not think that any detail of your new life is too small for God to guide you in. The choice of your business, of your future home, of your companions, should all be entrusted to Him; and He will greatly own and honor such confidence, and lead you in the very best path . For it is folly to suppose that if we have a loving and all-wise Father, He would or could do anything else. The poet's words are indeed true:

We do not say that we shall always be guided in such a way that we are quite sure, and conscious of it at the time. When the Word of God plainly directs us, and we obey it, we may indeed be sure. In the smaller details of life, when it is a question of where we shall go and what we shall do, we may yet be most happily guided if our state be right, if in meekness and obedience we seek not our own pleasure but the pleasure of God. He has pledged Himself to guide us, and He will do so. The only thing that will hinder is the assertion of our own will or pleasure. If we go forward in simplicity and self-judgment, making our decisions with a desire for His glory, we shall again and again have reason to look back with thankfulness, discovering that indeed His hand has led us.