In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Parallel translations
- WEB In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
- BSB in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
- NKJV In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
- NASB In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
- NLT Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Acknowledge God in all your ways and He will make your paths straight. It matters because submitting every part of life to God brings His guidance.
Overview
To acknowledge God in all our ways means to know and honor Him in every decision and area of life. The promise is that He will direct and smooth our path. This is not a guarantee of ease but of God's faithful, wise leading for those who trust Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 22
- Prov 16:3Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
- Ps 32:8I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
- Phil 4:6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
- Prov 16:9A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
- Jer 10:23O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
- Jas 1:5If 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.
- Isa 30:21And 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.
- Isa 48:17Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
- Ps 25:8–9Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
- Col 3:23And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
- Col 3:17And 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.
- Prov 23:17Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
- 1 Cor 10:31Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
- 1 Chr 28:9And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
- 1 Sam 30:8And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
- Isa 45:13I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts.
- Neh 1:11O LORD, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer.
- Ezra 8:22–23For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him.
- Neh 2:4Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
- Ezra 7:27Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:
- 2 Cor 8:16But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.
- 1 Sam 4:11–12And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 3:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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