Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. I. THE DUTY ENJOINED. We are to carry out, in the actings of every-day life, the great principle that there is a Being above us, and that Being is the proper object of the love and confidence of His creatures. From the time we set out in life to the period of old age — in all the variety of circumstances in which we may be placed, whatever be our state, whether one of prosperity or one of affliction — in all our concerns, personal and relative, temporal and spiritual, in all that belongs to this world or that relates to the next — we should think of God, and thank God, and trust God, and pray to God for His counsel and grace. We are to see God in everything, and we are to do nothing without Him. This duty is set in opposition to the natural tendency of the human mind to draw wisdom from its own resources, and to rest satisfied with its own powers. This setting God before us, with that feeling of reverence which His great name inspires, is a barrier to the commission of sin. II. THE ENCOURAGEMENT GIVEN TO PRACTISE THIS DUTY. All our goings shall be under His guidance, if we own and seek His providence. With a special regard to the interests of the humble, trusting soul, He will open a path before it; He will lead it into that path by indications of His will, plain and evident. We are short-sighted. We miscalculate. We often fail. We are exposed to temptations. We want a counsellor. If we look for God we shall see God, and see Him as our Helper, Protector, and Guide, in the most remarkable manner. If we depend upon providences, in the use of means, we shall have providential actings in our behalf, times without number. God may not always lead us in the path that we ourselves would choose. Infinite Wisdom chooses the path, and Infinite Love bears us through it. The rugged way may be the right way, though we may not now be able to see it. The direction of a higher Power brought to your affairs will not only conduce to your spiritual interests, it will likewise prove the greatest temporal blessing. (William Curling, M.A.) Parallel Verses KJV: In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.WEB: In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. |
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