IN ALL YOUR WAYS, ACKNOWLEDGE THE LORD - PART 2

Why must we acknowledge God in all our ways? This is because God is an all-knowing God. He is very much wiser than men and superior to the wisdom of this world. If God ever becomes foolish, His assumed 'foolishness' would still be wiser than the wisdom of any human being that ever existed. In fact the Scripture says, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength" (1 Corinthians 1:25 NIV).

Reference: Proverbs 3:5-6 New King James Version (NKJV) "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."

This is what the Scripture is saying: "Let us not be wise in our own eyes and understanding." Don't be confident in your own strength or abilities. Regardless of what you know, trust in the Lord with all your heart. To acknowledge God in all our ways is to submit to Him in everything because He is perfectly wise and just, and nothing can hinder or stop Him from directing us perfectly. Remember, we are talking about the Almighty God who is infinite in power and wisdom.

Acknowledging God in all our ways also shows that we love Him. The Bible says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28 NIV). In this verse, we are informed that He causes all things to work for the desired good of those who love Him. Sometimes God directs us in ways that seem contrary to our expected, desired results, by a sequence of events which appears to be out of alignment with what we have in mind towards accomplishing the best result. However as long as we keep acknowledging Him and refuse to lean on our own understanding, it will eventually turn out in our favour.

Sometimes, a Christian may face some kind of challenge and everything appears to be on the verge of disappointment. Yet God is giving them a prompting to do something unusual or abnormal at that same time. From the natural standpoint, it may never make any sense to follow that directive or to act on such instruction. However, if they continue to trust in the Lord by acting on such "weird" prompting, in a matter of time, what seems to be at the verge of disappointment becomes a reality accomplished. All of a sudden, an unfavourable situation takes a surprising and unexpected turn in their favour. Why? This is because they acknowledged God and refused to lean on their human understanding.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:27 (KJV): "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty." This means that the foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and His weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength. To acknowledge God in all our ways also includes, identifying His manifestation in real life. When you train your spirit in the business of acknowledging Him in all your ways, you can easily identify Him if He visits you in real life by any wondrous means.

For instance, a Biblical patriarch named Abraham was visited by God. Abraham was able to recognise that it was the Lord even though they looked like ordinary men. The Bible says, "Abraham looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcomed them, bowing low to the ground." Abraham was able to identify them and serve them with water to wash their feet and rest themselves under the tree. After serving them, one of them said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son" (see Genesis 18:1-10). Beloved, Abraham was that sensitive because He was a man that trusted and acknowledged God in all His ways and dealings.

God is sovereign and He knows everything about your life. He is also very much interested in directing your paths in good success. This is why He offers to help. In respect to our present state in life and that of our future, God has our best interest in mind (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV). He has also been in our future and even of the life to come. In another way, your future is God's past; He's already been there and beyond. That's the reason you can notice that you experience peace when you trust Him. And from a bigger picture, His purpose for your life is your destination. The plan is your route but God knows the best means to get you there. Therefore, acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He shall direct your paths. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Proverbs 16:1-3; Isaiah 30:21; Proverbs 12:15; 1 Corinthians 1:30.

Exuberant Declaration: I submit to God in all my ways and His glory is seen as footsteps in my pathways. By the Spirit, as I commit all my plans to the Lord, my thoughts, desires and everything about my life are well directed and established according to His will. Whatever is not profitable for me is forbidden and disallowed in all my ways because God is responsible for directing my paths from glory to glory. Hallelujah!