ACKNOWLEDGE

Admit. Perceive. Learn to know. See. Find out and discern.

Acknowledge.

Acknowledge Him.

In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:6 KJV

In ALL my ways see Him. Recognize God’s hand. God is Sovereign in all things, so, therefore, I can and should see Him as such. See His hand guiding me. See His hand open doors and close doors. Not every door is an open door, nor is every door a closed one.

YADA

Find out and discern Him. Yada is the Hebrew word for acknowledge and it is rich in meaning. There so many layers to unfold and strive to understand and desire to do. Find out and discern God in all my ways. It is not where is God that needs to be answered, but rather, open my eyes so that I may see Him. He never leaves us nor forsakes us, so He is right here. My job is to find Him and discern Him.

How? How can we know His voice? Well, think about your relationships that you have here on earth. Your spouse, for instance. You know your husband’s voice immediately – even from across a very crowded room. You hear that voice all the time and it is familiar. Or your child’s voice. To others, that voice is one of a dozen other children, but to you, he is your son.

The same with God. The more we spend time with Him the more we recognize His voice. Where do we find His voice? In the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1 ) and He also is our Shepherd, His sheep know His voice and He knows our voice (John 10:14). We have a relationship.

IN ALL YOUR WAYS

Let’s get practical. How do we acknowledge God in all our ways? First and foremost by reading and studying His Word so we know what He says. Then, we look and discern Him in our every day lives. In a conversation that we are having with someone. Did a friend call out of the blue? Did she encourage with an antidote or verse of some kind? Did she share that she has been praying? Acknowledge God’s goodness for sending this word of encouragement.

In tough times - how can we recognize God? First, by knowing without a shadow of a doubt that He is with us. We read in His Word that He is with us always, so that is the TRUTH. In the excruciating times it is choosing to believe what His Word says and acting upon it. Those moments of study come in real handy in a crisis.

God says that He will direct my paths. He will guide my feet. So, therefore I do not have to fret over which way to go. The path will just be open for me. By being in constant communion with God, I will know His hand. I can see Him.

JULIE

One story I think will bring this home. A few years ago, I was friends with a gal who worked at Trader Joe’s. I saw her every week, she insisted I go through her line to check out, or else. We would find each other in the store and chat about our vacations, our families, our lives. She was a friend, even though she was working and I was a customer. One day, she was sharing about the difficulties of caring for her aging father. It had become increasingly very difficult. She was burdened with his care as her siblings were not offering much help but advice. She was very torn. It was at this moment I felt God leading – and I shared that I would pray for her. Right there next to the eggs.

A couple of weeks later, we got to talking again. I was getting prepared for an upcoming surgery and she wanted to know about that and I wanted to know about her dad. She acknowledged God working in her situation. She even said that she had peace. She acknowledged that prayer worked. It was what she needed. She recognized that God was helping her. She had a radiance about her that I will never forget.

That was the last time I saw Julie. She was killed, tragically, while going on a walk with her dad. And, even harder, was that I did not find out for 2 months because of my own circumstances following that surgery. We found out that she had been killed a day before her memorial service – two months AFTER her death. Of course we went. Julie had never mentioned that her nephew was a pastor - he was the one who led her service. Most of her co-workers were still grieving over her untimely death. And her nephew was at a loss at her spiritual condition at the time of her death.

I felt compelled to talk with him. I shared that I have no doubt she acknowledged God as Lord in her life before she died. Just weeks before her death, she had that peace that can only come from God. Her nephew was so surprised. I wasn’t. On the way home from the service, I asked the Lord to confirm her decision. And He did. Through Scripture that came to mind. Those who call on Him shall be saved. And those who seek Him and pray, will be found by Him. Julie is a testament to these verses. I was so overwhelmed, that I in turn, acknowledged God’s goodness. I was able to give God glory for answered prayers. Julie is in heaven, waiting for me, her friend from Trader Joe’s.

LET US PRAY

Father, we acknowledge You in our lives - as Lord, and Saviour. Thank You for being Sovereign. May we acknowledge You in our lives and before men, to pray Your peace over them and in their lives. In the Name of Your Son, Jesus. AMEN.