Acknowledge Him

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
  And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
  And he will make your paths straight.
                                            --Proverbs 3:5-6


"Acknowledge"

Our English word 'acknowledge' has the meaning of admit, recognize, or confess. It is commonly used in an even more casual way to mean that you have noticed someone. An important person is acknowledged at a gathering. An award is given to acknowledge an achievement. The winning coach 'tips his hat' to his opposition in acknowledgment. Webster also defines 'acknowledgment' as a reluctant confession.

Was Solomon teaching us to 'tip our hats' to God or to 'reluctantly confess' him? (That doesn't sound quite right.)

Perhaps the idea of simple 'recognition' fits better.
Let's go behind the scenes for a closer look.

The Hebrew term for acknowledge is yada which occurs over 600 times in the Old Testament. The vast majority of the time it is translated with its basic meaning, to know. Though a little awkward to the English-thinking mind, a literal translation of today's verse would be:

     In all your ways know Him,
     And he will make your paths straight.

I 'know' my wife; I 'know' her well.
I know my wife's habits, the way she responds to different circumstances, how she will respond to and interact with me, how she will respond and interact with ur children, and with our friends. I know her 'likes' and 'dislikes.' Because I know her I am confident in our relationship. I trust her. I depend on her.
I know her.

I know my best friend; I 'know' him well.
(We understand what it means to 'know' someone.)

Do you know God? Know his character? Do you know how he will respond to various circumstances? Do you know what gives him joy? Or what makes him angry? Do you know how he feels about you?

The only real way to truly know God is to embrace his word, the Holy Scriptures, and then choose the path that Jesus walked.

The benefit of knowing God is that he will “make your paths straight.” In simple terms you might say that God will make your path in life easier to travel. That’s right; God will provide assistance to you...if...

"In ALL your ways...know God."