Proverbs 3:5-6 - Acknowledge God in all you do and He will guide you in all things.

Pro.3:5-6; Acknowledge God in all you do and He will guide you 
in all things. 

CONTENT; What's in the verse; Translations; Paraphrase; Word 
Study:  

Prov 3:5, 6 (KJV)  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and 
lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge 
him, and he shall direct thy paths. 

Prov 3:5, 6 (EAV)  Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the 
Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight 
or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge 
Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. 

Prov 3:5, 6 (CWR)  Trust in the Lord with all your heart and 
don't depend on your own understanding. Put the Lord first in 
everything you do and He will direct your life. 

Prov 3:5, 6 (MSG)  Trust God from the bottom of your heart; 
don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice 
in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep 
you on track.  

Trust in the LORD. Commit your way to the Lord (Ps 37:5), [NIV 
SB] 

Acknowledge. Lit., know; i.e., know God personally and be in 
fellowship with Him. [Ryrie SB] 

Acknowledge him. Be ever mindful of God and serve him with a 
willing and faithful heart [NIV SB] 

Make your paths straight. He will remove the obstacles from your 
pathway and bring you to your appointed goal. [NIV SB] 

CONTEXT; What's around the verse; Overview; Topic:

Overview
After summarizing the benefits of this book (1:1-7), these first 
chapters take the form of a father exhorting his son not to reject (vv. 
8-33) but to embrace wisdom (2:1-4:27). He warned against adultery 
(5:1-23; 6:20-7:27) and folly (6:1-19), picturing wisdom and folly as two 
very different women (8:1-9:18). [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary] 

3:1-35 Wisdom's Security
Wisdom not only protects one from evil, it also promises many 
earthly rewards (3:1-18). The word "acknowledge" (3:6) means to "know." 
In all of the activities and pursuits of life, God must be kept 
central. The words "make straight" mean to clear obstructions enabling 
one to reach the appointed goal. The "tree of life" (3:18; cf. Gen. 
2:9; Rev. 2:7) is a metaphor for a "source of life." Wisdom played a 
dynamic part in the creation of the universe (3:19-20), so it can have a 
significant part in ordering the affairs of each person's life. [New Bible 
Companion] 

How to acquire wisdom  (3:1-12)
Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart  (3:1-12)
Admonition to Trust and Honor God

CROSS REFERENCES; What's in verses elsewhere.

Job 13:15 (KJV)  Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but 
I will maintain mine own ways before him.  

Psalm 62:8 (KJV)  Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out 
your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.  

Psalm 37:5 (KJV)  Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in 
him; and he shall bring it to pass.  

Proverbs 16:3 (KJV)  Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy 
thoughts shall be established.  

1 Cor. 10:31 (KJV)  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or 
whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.  

Col. 3:17 (KJV)  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in 
the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by 
him.  

Col. 3:23 (KJV)  And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the 
Lord, and not unto men;  

Proverbs 22:19 (NLT) I am teaching you today--yes, you--so you 
will trust in the LORD.  

Psalm 25:9 (KJV)  The meek will he guide in judgment: and the 
meek will he teach his way.  

Psalm 37:3 (KJV)  Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou 
dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.  

Psalm 37:7 (KJV)  Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: 
fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of 
the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.  

Isaiah 26:3-4 (KJV)  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose 
mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. [4] Trust ye in 
the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength: 
 

Isaiah 12:2 (KJV)  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, 
and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; 
he also is become my salvation.  

Psalm 125:1 (KJV)  They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount 
Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.  

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (KJV)  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the 
Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. [8] For he shall be as a tree 
planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, 
and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and 
shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from 
yielding fruit.  

Proverbs 28:26 (KJV)  He that trusteth in his own heart is a 
fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.  

Proverbs 23:4 (KJV)  Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own 
wisdom.  

Jeremiah 9:23 (KJV)  Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man 
glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, 
let not the rich man glory in his riches:  

Romans 12:16 (NLT) Live in harmony with each other. Don't try to 
act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't 
think you know it all! 

1 Cor. 3:18-20 (KJV)  Let no man deceive himself. If any man 
among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, 
that he may be wise. [19] For the wisdom of this world is foolishness 
with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own 
craftiness. [20] And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that 
they are vain.  

Proverbs 23:17 (KJV)  Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be 
thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.  

Philip. 4:6 (KJV)  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by 
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made 
known unto God.  

James 1:5 (KJV)  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, 
that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be 
given him.  

Isaiah 30:21 (KJV)  And thine ears shall hear a word behind 
thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the 
right hand, and when ye turn to the left.  

COMMENTARY / APPLICATION
WHAT IS GOD TEACHING HERE? WHAT DOES IT TEACH ABOUT JESUS?

Throughout Proverbs one sees the reward of trusting in (lit. 
"clinging to," with the idea of setting one's hope and confidence upon) 
the Lord as opposed to the futility of resting in one's own wisdom 
and seeking one's own way. God designed His creation to have a 
dependency upon Him. Even the ordinary decisions of a day need the counsel 
of God, who instructs His creation to consult Him about even the 
most minute details, whether in the spiritual or secular realm. God 
promises to communicate in return. The Fall itself was precipitated when 
man sought to live independently of God, and this human independence 
continues at the heart of sinful rebellion today. [Believer's SB] 

The words trust in the LORD echo the command of Deut. 6:5 to 
love God with all our being. The verb trust is complemented by the 
verb "lean." Trusting in God is a conscious dependence on God, much 
like leaning on a tree for support. The idea is reinforced here by 
the command to acknowledge Him, which means to observe Him and get 
to know Him in the process of living. [Nelson SB] 

Leaning has the sense of putting your whole weight on something, 
resting on and trusting in that person or thing. When we have an 
important decision to make, we sometimes feel that we can't trust 
anyone--not even God. But God knows what is best for us. And he knows even 
better than we do what we really want. We must trust him completely in 
every choice we make. We should not omit careful thinking or belittle 
our God-given ability to reason; but we should not trust our own 
ideas to the exclusion of all others. We must not be wise in our own 
eyes. We should always be willing to listen to and be corrected by 
God's Word and wise counselors. Bring your decisions to God in prayer, 
use the Bible as your guide, and follow God's leading. He will make 
your paths straight by both guiding and protecting you. [Life 
Application SB] 

When we want God's direction, there are no halfway measures. 
There will be times when we slip back, stumble and sin. These times 
grow fewer as we seek and gain His direction. Progress comes when we 
place our full confidence, our will and intellect, in the Lord.  Does 
this mean God wants us to stop thinking, stop being individuals, 
become a robot? God forbid!  He doesn't expect us to short circuit our 
own mind.  He just tells us not to go to that understanding with the 
wrong assumptions.  It is simple.  Place your confidence in God, 
wholly, on a matter. (To do so, you will have to pray and search His 
Word to find out what it has to say on that matter.) This is putting 
our thoughts before the Lord and His Word. As we do this, He will 
give us the direction we need.  Decide today to pay due respect to 
God in all that is done.  He will direct decisions, judgments, and 
actions.  And we can count on growing in our walk with Him. [In His Time; 
Walk With Wisdom]  

It is our responsibility to place ourselves in the Lord's hands, 
through surrender, through study of His Word, through fellowship with 
Him in prayer, through uniting ourselves with others who are 
like-minded, [In His Time; Walk With Wisdom]