Do you struggle with acknowledging God? Proverbs 3: 5-6 tells us to trust Him and acknowledge Him. This devotion looks at some ways we can so that so we find favor with God and man.
Nuggets
- We are to not forget the instructions God has given us on how we are to live our lives.
- When we live the lives that God has called us to live, we will find favor in Him.
- Finding favor is all predicated on trusting the Lord completely.
- We have to acknowledge God, but sometimes, we have trouble doing that.
God does want us to find favor with men. But we have to watch how we seek that favor and how much importance we put on it. Let’s take a look at what Proverbs says and man.
Let's Put It into Context
“My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands; for they will bring you many days, a full life, and well-being. Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart" (Prov. 3: 1-3 CSB)
We are to not forget the instructions God has given us on how we are to live our lives. He has told us the character He wants us to possess.
Once we have the character, the decisions we make will be in line with God’s laws and commands. Living in God’s Will will bring us a long, full, and happy life.
This isn’t a one-and-done thing. God knows we will be working on this for all of our lives.
God also knows our attention span. That is why He says write His instructions down. Take them with us.
We need to put these instructions in our hearts so that they are an essential part of us. Ainslie said, “It is the life of a man that proclaims who he is and what he is.”
We have to have a solid relationship and not follow whatever whim and fad is circulating at the time.
We have to be following God’s laws and commandments. That life shows that we fear God. We’ve got to imitate Him.
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
They Like Us
“Then you will find favor and high regard with God and people” (Prov. 3: 4 CSB)
This verse starts with that all-important word: then.
When we live the lives that God has called us to live, we will find favor in Him. But look what else it says. We will also find favor with man.
It is hard not to want to find favor with man. We live here on earth. We don’t want constant bickering with our co-workers, neighbors, and friends. We want people we to recognize our honesty, sincerity, and competence.
To find favor we have to be living the life. No, not necessarily a religious life.
Yes, we need to go to church regularly. But God wants relationship, not religion. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day had religion. They didn’t have relationship.
When our relationship is right with God, we are more apt to treat others the way He wants us to treat them.
This is not necessarily the world’s definition these days. That makes it harder to find favor with man. We can’t compromise our beliefs to find favor with men.
We have to make sure we stay in favor with God.
To read a related devotion, click the appropriate button below.
We Trust God
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding” (Prov. 3: 5 CSB)
Finding favor is all predicated on trusting the Lord completely. What is trust? Trust is confidence that the promises of God are true.
We trust that God will be able to tell us what to do. We trust that He will be with us for whatever He calls us to do. We trust that, even if it is hard and painful, God knows exactly what we need to grow.
When we find favor with men, it is easy to puff ourselves up. We start relying on our own abilities.
We may say that God is directing our paths, but we say that He has a lot to work with us. So when we do something right, we start to rely on ourselves.
Or we can say, “There is no way I could have done that without God.” But what we sometimes really are saying is, “Hey, look. God used me a lot more than He is using you.”
It isn’t about us. It is about God.
We have to have the right attitude when we want to hand out the glory. It all has to go to God.
We have to be obedient to God. We have to show that He is calling the shots.
Acknowledge Him
“in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight. (Prov. 3: 6 CSB)
We like to talk about the success part of this verse — especially since it courts the favor. We like getting the good stuff from this relationship with God.
The good stuff only comes, though, when we know Him — when we acknowledge God (Prov. 3: 6 KJV).
Sometimes, we have trouble doing the acknowledgement part. In the ACTS prayer model, we have Acknowledge, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. We talked not long ago that our prayers are heavy on the supplication part, but light on the other parts.
To read a related devotion, click the appropriate button below.
We have got to acknowledge our Sovereign God. How do we do that?
First off, we have to acknowledge there is a God and that we should acknowledge Him and fear Him. We crown Him as our King.
We have to be vocal about God’s power and the three omnies: omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. All powerful. All knowing. All present.
Acknowledging God means submitting to Him. It means letting Him have authority in our lives. We do that by following His laws and commandments.
We need to acknowledge God in the entirety of our lives. Through the good times and the bad times, we have to live showing God is in control. That means we talk and think in God’s ways.
We acknowledge God even when we would rather He not be watching. That may be in our business practices, our social life, or our presentation of ourself. In all of our ways, we have to acknowledge Him.
Acknowledging God means seeking Him. If you have read other devotions, you probably know the drill here.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17 NLT).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3 ESV).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16 ESV).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11 NLT).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11 NLT).
To read Has God Provided Everything We Need?, click the button below.
One thing we can’t live without is God’s wisdom. “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him” (Jas. 1: 5 CSB). God will share His vast wisdom with us if we ask.
God’s goodness and love are things we should acknowledge. This is shown through the many promises that are recorded in His Word.
God’s Promises
Answers prayer (Ps. 37: 4; Jn. 14: 13)
Deliverance (Ps. 34: 17; Ps. 50: 15)
Eternal life (Jn. 3: 16; Rev. 3: 5)
Faithful (Jer. 29: 12; Rom. 4: 21)
Fight for us (Ex. 14: 14)
Knowledge and wisdom (Jas. 1: 5)
Love (Ps. 145: 9)
Peace (Isa. 54: 10; Phil. 4: 6-7)
Presence (Deut. 31: 8; Mt. 28: 20)
Prosperity (Mal. 3: 10; II Cor. 9: 8)
Protection (Isa. 43: 2)
Provision (Mt. 6: 31-33; Phil. 4: 19)
Salvation (Ps. 27: 1; I Jn. 1: 9)
Strength (Isa. 49: 29-31; Eph. 3: 16-19)
Transformation (1 Jn. 3: 2; II Pet. 1: 3-4)
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
The hard part — we acknowledge God has the authority to correct us as needed. “Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe his discipline; for the Lord disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights” (Prov. 3: 11-12 CSB).
We acknowledge God by praising and worshipping Him.
We have to out God first and us second. We have to rely on Him. It isn’t about us; it is about Him.
Only then do we find success. But He isn’t our meal ticket to success. We can’t say we are following Him so we will be rich and famous. We can say we are following Him because He will provide. With that provision comes contentment and the feeling of success in we are where we are supposed to be.
Making the Connections
God wants them to trust Him. He wants others to trust us.
If people don’t think we have a reputation for good judgment and common sense, they will not listen to us when we witness to them. Since that is one of our jobs, we do have to win their trust.
How Do We Apply This?
Curling said, “We are to see God in everything, and we are to do nothing without Him.” That is a great way to acknowledge God.
How do we acknowledge God?
- Bury ourselves in His Word
- Keep in constant communication with Him through prayer
- Grow in our faith in Him
- Deepen our belief in Him
- Turn every aspect of our lives over to Him
Gracious Heavenly Father. You are so much more than us. We are nothing without You. We acknowledge that You are Sovereign God. Help us to grow so that our trust in You is complete. Forgive us when we rely on ourselves when we should be relying on You. Amen.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
If you don’t understand something and would like further clarification, please contact me.
If you have not signed up for the email daily or weekly providing the link to the devotions and the newsletter, do so below.
If God has used this devotion to speak with you, consider sharing it on social media.
Pingback: How Did Moses Say Goodbye? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: The Correlation Among Fear of the Lord, Wisdom, and Obedience – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: What Is Piety? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Can We Change the Scriptures? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Knowledge as a Virtue – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: The Rewards of Faithfulness – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Rewards for Focusing on God – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Have We Lost Our First Love? – Seeking God with Elaine