It Matters To God...So It Should Matter To You

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

This passage has plagued me through most of 2013. 

What does acknowledging God in ALL my ways mean?

 After much prayer, I’ve come to realize it means I should seek God in EVERY decision I make…Large and Small. It’s acknowledging that I NEED God every moment, of every day. I can’t produce my next breath, so it’s arrogant and erroneous to think I can make ANY decision without consulting Him first. It’s about realizing I NEED God more than I can humanly understand. It’s about putting God FIRST. (Matt 6:33)

So how does this play out in my day-to-day life?

Here are some of my common thoughts on any given day:

Lord, should I purchase XYZ? Should I go to the gym today or spend more time in Your Word? Should I say something to my husband about XYZ or wait another day for You to work? Do you want me to call XYZ now? Is today a good day to start XYZ project? Do I blog today? What book should I read next? Should I eat another cookie? And so on….

I’ll admit, some of this sounds trivial. But I’m coming to realize how much God WANTS to be part of each trivial thing in my life. I’m blown away by the guidance He gives when I consult Him.

More than once, He’s led me to go to the store on a day I hadn’t planned and He’s blessed me in some way: huge savings on items or meeting someone who needed prayer. 

Not only that, I’m amazed to see how things “fall” into place when I let go and wait for God to work instead of me pushing my way ahead- forcing issues. 

On top of all this, when I acknowledge my need for God, my heart and mind are filled with peace. I have confidence in knowing God is working in ways I can’t see. I have assurance that He loves me and will never let me go. 

Realizing all this should mean I’m a pro at consulting God, acknowledging Him in minute situations, and even have a heart filled with endless praise…but I’m human. So I mess up. Daily.

This point was driven home by Sorge, “It’s possible to remain loyal in our love for the Lord but still miss His highest purposes for our life.” (pg 133) OUCH!

No matter how many steps forward I take in my walk with God, I always fall back. Sometimes I only fall a step or two, other times I tumble head-over-feet and land with a huge thud. But no matter what, God is with me and He is able to use each step (forward or back) to draw me closer to Him and His purpose for my life.  (please tweet)

The key is being willing to go back to Him. To acknowledge Him. Acknowledge His work in my life. Acknowledge His blessings. Acknowledge He is the giver and sustainer of life. Acknowledge His grace, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, power…and His plan. 

Acknowledge HE IS GOD and I am NOT!

In Chapter 9 of “The Fire of Delayed Answers”, Sorge shows us how Hezekiah blew it. 

There’s much to learn in this chapter, but what stood out for me regards Hezekiah’s Spiritual Pride. It brought me back to me learning how to Acknowledge God in ALL my ways.

“Hezekiah wasn’t refusing to consult God about showing his kingdom to the Babylonians. It was just an oversight—he didn’t think it mattered. It wasn’t a big deal at all to Hezekiah. But it was to God.” (pg 137)

All things in our lives matter to God. Just like everything that happens in my sons life matters to me.

God WANTS to be involved in ALL things. Nothing is too trivial for His attention.

You aren’t trivial to Him.

Every decision you make matters to God. (please tweet)

So next time you face a decision (should I eat a burger or grilled chicken? should I marry this person? is this the job God has for me?), consult God. Acknowledge that He wants to be part of it all.

It matters to Him…so it should matter to you.

Join the Book club discussing, “The Fire of Delayed Answers” by Bob Sorge, by either grabbing a copy of the book and joining the weekly discussions and/or leaving a comment below. You can read more about this chapter from: Jason, Sarah, Dusty, Kari, Glynn, and Joell. (and possibly a few more people- sorry if I left you out. Please let me know so I can add you to the list.)