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 NASB20)

Continuing backward through this familiar passage from the book of Proverbs, today we come to the third line, “In all your ways acknowledge him.”  What purpose is behind acknowledging God in the achievement of straight paths? As explored in the first post, straight paths are highly desirable for companies and our personal lives; they are optimal and the most efficient way to reach a desired outcome.  They represent a metaphoric direct path to achievement, as opposed to curved paths with rocks, hills, rivers to cross, and obstacles to go over that slow us down.   But what role does the acknowledgment of God in all our ways serve in the process?  

At the heart of this concept presented by Solomon in the book of Proverbs is the importance of aligning what we do, “our ways,” with God.  What does that mean?  Acknowledgment of God does not mean we merely recognize His existence but that we are acknowledging His will.    Three types of will are associated with God: His commands, permissive, and sovereign will.  

God’s commands are the principles and promises we find in the Bible, sometimes called God’s moral will.  If the Bible says we are to do something or avoid doing something else, we are not to argue.  There is no discussion; God gets to decide what is morally right or wrong, and we do not.

God’s permissive will is the freedom we are given to choose and decide what it is that we should do inside the guardrails of what we must do on one side and what we must not do on the other.  When there is no specific command from God, we are given the freedom to choose, use wisdom, and make the best decision possible.  

God’s sovereign will is His big plan for the world.  We are offered a glimpse of God’s plan through prophecy but are not given the details.  Through faith, we learn to acknowledge God in all we do within His sovereign will.  We cannot see into the future, but God can.  We cannot know for certain whether what we are planning may succeed or fail, but God knows.  We may not understand the unintended implications of our planning, but God understands.  We may have the freedom to choose to do a thing; sometimes, we succeed, and other times, we fail.  Acknowledging God means we accept that His sovereign will may sometimes trump our will for our own benefit and for the good of His kingdom.  

Paul, in his letter to the Romans, said, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to [His] purpose” (Rom 8:28 NASB20).  God is active in the outcomes of people who love Him and who have become a part of the fulfillment of His purpose.  His sovereign will plays an important role in the outcome of what we do.  Whether we succeed or fail, our paths will be straight and smooth when we are aligned with God’s will.