Acknowledging God

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. — Proverbs 3:5-6

Many people are familiar with Proverbs 3:5, particularly those who have been following Jesus and studying Scripture for a while. It’s easy to grasp the concept of trusting God and not relying on our own limited understanding, though putting the concept into practice is often more difficult.

But what about verse 6? What does it mean to acknowledge God? At a glance, it seems to mean to know God, or to see Him. Is it really that simple? Or is it possible we’re glossing over a deeper meaning?

Cue one of my favorite Bible study tools: let’s consult the dictionary! A search for the word acknowledge on dictionary.com reveals several definitions for the verb (emphasis in bold is mine):

• To admit to be real or true; recognize the existence, truth, or fact of
• To show or express recognition or realization of
• To recognize the authority, validity, or claims of
• To show express appreciation or gratitude for
• To indicate or make known the receipt of
• To take notice or reply to
• (Law) to confirm as binding or of legal force

As we can see, acknowledge means so much more than simply “to know.” Though perhaps often considered a passive thing, on the contrary, to acknowledge requires much action! It involves admission, recognition, gratitude, confirmation, and more.

Acknowledgement involves clear recognition of truth. It’s like obeying a stop sign in the middle of an abandoned desert road, with no cars in sight and no police or cameras nearby to witness your decision. Acknowledging the stop sign means you see it and you understand what it’s telling you to do. You recognize the truth of it: that it physically exists, and it’s instructing you in no uncertain terms to bring your car to a stop before proceeding through the intersection.

Acknowledgement involves admission and confirmation. It’s not a casual, sideways glance saying, “God, I see you over there,” as you continue marching your own merry way. Returning to our stop sign example, acknowledgement requires you to admit (or agree) the stop sign has authority in this situation, not you. Even with no one to witness your actions, and a supposed low probability of injury to yourself or someone else, one fact remains: the stop sign was placed in that specific location by the local roadway governing authority. The governing authority is in charge of building the roads. They understand the traffic patterns in their parish, and they recognized a need for a stop sign in this specific place. They set the rules and boundaries to keep everyone on the road safe, including you. To acknowledge the stop sign is to admit that someone else knows this road better than you, and that said someone genuinely has your best interest in mind.

Acknowledgement requires an active response. It’s now time to make the choice. Even if you agree that the local road authority knows this intersection better than you, you still must decide whether or not to obey the stop sign. You can choose to trust the road authority and bring your car to a complete stop, or you can risk your safety and others’ by ignoring it. The freedom of choice is yours. 

So, now that we’ve explored what acknowledgement truly means, let’s return to Proverbs 3:6. What does acknowledging God in all your ways actually look like?

Much like the road authority set up the stop sign for our benefit, God gives us instructions for our lives in His Word, the Bible. This entire world is His “parish.” He created this world from nothing (Genesis 1), which means He knows all the intricacies of how it operates. He also created us, which means He’s the expert on what keeps us functioning — and thriving! He gives us the choice to acknowledge His Word or not, whether to agree it’s the truth and we would be wise to follow it… or not. 

In exchange for our acknowledgement of and trust in Him, He promises to direct our paths. I don’t know about you, but I make a pretty miserable pilot for my own life! The times I took control and followed my own heart left me, miserable, rejected, failing, and once or twice at rock bottom. Case in point: over a decade ago I set out to chase my dream of being a highly-sought-after custom invitation and stationery designer. I made decent headway, gained a lot of business knowledge, really improved my craftsmanship and networking skills… but ultimately the venture fell flat. My last wedding invitation order — one of my all-time favorite creative projects — left me with $0 in profit. Yes, you read that right. A production glitch as I printed them at home made it necessary to outsource part of the invitation suite, which ate up every last dollar of profit. By that point in time, however, I already knew I was quitting the stationery business. God had been slowly yet surely showing me that He had other plans for me, if I would only acknowledge and follow Him.

Thankfully, God is not wasteful, and He miraculously used the broken pieces of my messes for my good and His glory! He used my failed business venture, combined with some significant personal trials happening at the same time, to draw me back under His proverbial wing. When I gave up my dream and surrendered to whatever He wanted me to do, He opened up a job at a small Christian publishing company. That was 2013. Now, over a decade later, I’m still working in Christian publishing, but as an entrepreneur. I had always dreamed of being an entrepreneur (I even chose a college minor in entrepreneurship for that very purpose!), but it looks significantly different than I had planned! When I trusted God and surrendered to His ways, He put me to work using all the skills I learned along the way. Instead of designing event stationery, I’m designing tools and resources — and artwork! — to build up His disciples. And though I’m not living a life of exuberant luxury, He’s provided for all the things our family needs.

To acknowledge God in all our ways (Proverbs 3:6) means this: to recognize He exists. To believe He is the Truth, our Creator, and the governing authority over our lives. To admit He knows us better than we know ourselves, and that He has our best interest in mind. To actively and faithfully choose to submit to His ways, not our own. 

My friend, I pray you will joyfully acknowledge and pursue God all the days of your life!