Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. It’s one of the first verses I heard as a new believer. I was in my 20s and largely lost as to what I was doing with my life and how to navigate my choices. In the sense that I understood it, this verse served as a guide for me. Attend church, pray, read your Bible, and participate in a weekly Bible study with others. That's what I thought it meant to trust and acknowledge the Lord. And God, in His incredible grace, covered me in so many ways despite my lack of depth of understanding. But it means so much more than that. To trust the Lord with all your heart means to lean into him and place your complete trust in who He is. It means you are willing to stake everything on His name for the sake of His glory. That He is Plan A, B, and C for you. Being led by the Spirit of God is not for the faint of heart. That is why, in this verse, He tells us how to trust Him: by acknowledging Him in all our ways. The word "ways" means a recurring segment of opportunity, like a day. We are to acknowledge Him in all our days. But what does it mean to acknowledge? When someone enters a room, we acknowledge them by waving across the room. We might acknowledge a text or email by responding to it, is that it? If we're being honest, we sometimes acknowledge the Lord from afar. The word "acknowledge" (Hebrew "yada") has a range of meanings. It can come from observation, investigation, reflection, or firsthand experience. However, the highest level of this word refers to direct, intimate contact. Our loving Holy God desires direct intimate contact with us by filling us with His Living Word, praying in the Spirit, inviting His Spirit to be with us, instructing our hearts, and giving us understanding of His Heart and Will. It is in that place of intimacy that He births blessings and victories.
So in all our days. True, if we maintain direct, intimate contact with the One. God. Then He promises to direct our paths toward abundant, life-giving experiences. Jesus died so that we could have this intimacy and be overcomers as a result of it!
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