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

These two verses are among the more familiar ones in the Bible.  As I was reading these verses recently, one word jumped out at me.  Used twice in this passage, the word “all” is of particular importance.

It must be pointed out here that God doesn’t want just part of us.  He doesn’t want most of us.  He wants all of us.  That’s not selfishness on His part.  Rather, as our spiritual Father, He knows and wants what’s best for us and desires our trust in that matter.

We are to trust Him with “all” our heart.  We are not to be halfhearted in our faith.  God has shown Himself time and time again to be trustworthy.  His record in this is perfect.  There is no reason why we shouldn’t believe in Him and give Him full obedience.

We are to acknowledge him in “all” our ways.  The Hebrew word translated “acknowledge” comes from a root which means “know”, “experience”, “consider”, or “recognize”.  We are to see God’s work in our lives, recognize it as such, and give God the glory He deserves.

While nobody is absolutely perfect in these areas, consistency will result in God’s direction for our lives.