Word Study: What Does It Mean To "Acknowledge" The Lord?
"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." Proverbs 3:5-7
This verse is perhaps one of the most recited. Upon first look it seems simple enough to understand despite being challenging to always live out. Trust is difficult for far too many reasons for me to explain. But trust is never the first thing that occurs in a relationship. It is built over time as two people intentionally get to know each other. Our trust in the Lord is no different.
If total trust is what we're building towards, how do we get there? This question made me look at this verse in reverse. Instead of beginning with a command to trust, let's begin with the command to acknowledge.
Acknowledge the Lord in all your ways.
Lean not on your own understanding.
Trust the Lord with all your heart.
But what does it mean to acknowledge the Lord? Sometimes Scripture presents us with words we understand in most contexts or modern context, but it's still worth asking the question what did God mean when He spoke this? What did this word mean when it was written? Understanding the context of a word can help us better understand what the Lord is trying to communicate.
The English word "acknowledge" is a translation of the Hebrew phrase "to know." The Hebrew translation of this portion of the verse would read very closely to "in all your ways, know Him."
Simply speaking:
Do everything according to His word.
Obey Him in all that you do.
Let His word be the authority in every area of your life.
An even deeper way of looking at this would be to consider what "to know" meant during the ancient times. This phrase is frequently used throughout the Bible to describe the sexual act of "getting to know someone" or "becoming one with someone."
While it is often partaken in outside of marriage, sex was created as a way for a husband and wife to become one. It is not just something enjoyed in marriage, but is actually part of the marriage ritual and serves as a covenant seal.
The acknowledgement of one another (the commitment to each other) comes before the vast majority of the relationship where trust is built, especially during the ancient times. This kind of knowing represents a level of unguarded, naked intimacy. And it is that level of intimacy that the Lord wishes to have with us. He already knows us intimately, but do we know Him?
To acknowledge Him in all our ways means to live as one with Him. Live as one with His word.
When we commit ourselves to living as one with the Lord by allowing His word to be the authority over our life, we acknowledge Him in all that we do. It is through that acknowledgment, that commitment, that we do not lean on our own understanding. We abide by His word. And it is through that abiding, through that relationship, that we find Him trustworthy.
And what does the Lord do when we abide in Him? When we become one with Him? When we acknowledge Him? When we commit ourselves to living out His word in every area of our lives? He directs our paths. He aligns our steps with His good will for our lives, and He brings us into prosperity.
This is a relationship built on a mutual yes. Is he still waiting for yours? God won't direct what you won't surrender. Trust makes surrender easier, but it is never easy. That is why I don't believe trust is the first step in our relationship with the Lord. Obedience, commitment, acknowledgement is.
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