It only takes a moment. Yet the moment is often lost in the immediate reaction to circumstances surrounding our lives if acknowledging God is not a habit. How many things do we decide to do without taking the precious moment to ask God for His wisdom and direction? How many things do we just decide to do because we want to or believe we need to? How serious or great does a problem or decision need to get before we finally figure out we need God's help. Great problems are often the result of the piling up of days walking in our own ways and wisdom. One day we wake up to find that we are out of control, overwhelmed, or pressed down because we have not been staying in touch with God about what we should be doing each day. Then we scramble to seek the Lord and wonder why it is so hard to hear from Him. Where is He when you need Him? Perhaps we ought to review our daily habits to see if they are the source of the problem.

We may need to acquire a new habit. The habit of acknowledging God before we act, speak or respond. So what does it mean to acknowledge God?

Acknowledge defined: to recognize the rights or authority of another: to admit as true or to recognize as valid.

In reference to God, we are recognizing the right God has to direct our lives because we belong to Him. We are submitting to His authority and perspective. We are admitting that His ways are the true ways of life, and we are recognizing God's perspective as valid for our lives. In Proverbs 3:6 (In all your ways
acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.) The root definition means: learn to know, find out and discern, acquaint one's self with, consider, and to be instructed.

So how do we do this? By talking to God about what we are looking at doing, and letting Him tell us what we should or shouldn't do about it. The more we practice this kind of prayer, the more we will have our directions established by God's wisdom. And this makes good sense, because Father knows best, and wants to help us in every area of our life to be victorious, prosperous, and effective servants for His glory and praise and for our well being.

Father, in the name of Jesus, help me to develop the art of acknowledging you in all my ways so that you can direct the path of my life into the things you have desired. Yes!