“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:6 NKJV.

Life works best when you put God first.

My thoughts and comments today are about “when life works best.”

We have gotten the matter of acknowledging God somewhat backwards. You choose your destination and make your plans and when that inevitably does not work out as expected, you look to God to fix everything that went wrong. Solomon wrote, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:6. To that promise, there is an order and priority to how and when you acknowledge God. Solomon tried life by leaving God till last, and learned the hard way that it doesn’t work. Solomon wrote, “Ecclesiastes,” about the futility of relating to God and relying on Him only for emergencies. “I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.” Jeremiah 10:23 NKJV.

God gifted Solomon with great wisdom, and that wisdom brought him incomparable wealth and acclaim. But like many of us, he took the gifts God had given and made them a substitute for God Himself. He thought wisdom would be enough, but he found that the best of everything without God was only vanity, profound emptiness, and futility. He is not the only one who ever tried to live that way. Finally, when life doesn’t work anymore, only then such people acknowledge God.

However hard you try to make life work differently, life works best when you put God first. “A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 NKJV. Jesus said, “Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33 NIV. When your plans, decisions, and efforts are not working as anticipated, examine if seeking God for wisdom and direction initiated your journey.

Crises and emergencies are a sure sign that you are not putting God first. Yes, God in His love and mercy will be there for you, even in your crises, but you will have fewer emergencies when you put God first, when at the beginning you “acknowledge Him, in all your ways.” Not just in the more difficult things or the problems you know you can’t handle, but “in all your ways,” including matters you assume you can navigate on your own. The result is guaranteed to be more beneficial.

If you follow this simple advice, you will have fewer relationships that need repair, less mistakes to correct, fewer apologies to offer, and less collateral damage all around. Before the heartache and regret, acknowledge God first in your life. The journey will be better and the destination will be sure. “The steps [and stops] of the Godly are directed by the Lord. [God] delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23 NLT.

Now acquaint yourself with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.” Job 22:21 NKJV. As you begin each day, read and reflect on God’s Word and pause to pray for God’s direction; prayer does not have to be long and involved, just sincere. Most importantly, value and obey God’s will. “The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.” Psalm 37:31 NKJV.”

Today, my prayer for you is: always let Jesus direct both the starts and stops of your journey.