Proverbs 3:6

When you involve God in every part of life, He guides your path. This famous half-verse completes the thought begun in verse 5 about trusting the LORD with all the heart. Here the focus narrows to a daily practice: in "all thy ways" -- every decision, relationship, and routine -- acknowledge Him. The reward is a straightened, directed path.

To "acknowledge" God is more than a nod of belief. The Hebrew yada means to know intimately and to recognize someone's rightful place. Acknowledging God in all your ways means deliberately bringing Him into the ordinary corners of life that we often handle on our own -- our work, our spending, our words, our plans. Nothing is too small to entrust to Him. The promise that follows, "he shall direct thy paths," pictures God smoothing and straightening the road ahead, removing obstacles and keeping the traveler from wandering. This does not promise a life without hardship, but it does promise guidance for those who keep God in view. The verse holds together human responsibility and divine help: the believer does the acknowledging; God does the directing. It is one of Scripture's clearest invitations to a life lived in conscious partnership with God rather than in self-reliant independence.