YADA – YADA – YADA… The best guidance system in the universe!

No kidding!
An old mentor told me the best way to find the right path in life was to “Yada.”
If I was ever confused about a decision he said to “Yada” and I would know what to do.
Well, he didn’t quite say it like that, but he did say the best advice on guidance was Proverbs 3:5, 6. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.”
The Hebrew word for “acknowledge” is “Yada” and is rich with meaning. The synonyms of this word are staggering, all-encompassing, and deeply informative
“Yada” means…

See for yourself. To acknowledge Him means “to ascertain by seeing.” We must personally respond to Jesus’ invitation to “come and see.” [Jn. 1:39] We must come like the Greeks who said, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” [Jn. 12:21] Then we will have the spiritual perception of Isaiah who said, “I saw the Lord high and lifted up…” [Isa. 6:1]

Seek His advice. Before becoming confused by the opinions of well-meaning friends, self-serving ads, conflicting “clinical studies,” how it worked for others, consulting a commentary, or meeting with an expert, we should consult with the Lord. As the lord warned Israel, “The Lord said, ‘How terrible it will be for these stubborn children. They make plans, but they don’t ask me to help them. They make agreements with other nations, without asking my Spirit.” [Isa. 30:1,2]
Then He tells them what to do. “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” [v. 15] When we have the One “in Whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge lies hidden,” it is foolish not to ask His advice first.
“Yada” means, “Let Him instruct you.” “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given him.” [Ja. 1:5] We honor and acknowledge God by accepting His wisdom and instruction.
“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” [Prov. 2:1-5]

Answer Him when He speaks. Our Lord asks, “When I came, why was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer. Was my arm too short to ransom you? Do I lack the strength to rescue you? By a mere rebuke, I dry up the sea, I turn the rivers into a desert…” [Isa. 50:2]
“Yada” means “to respect him” and one of the best ways to show respect for another person is to listen to them, and it is the core of true worship of God. Respond when you read His word. Ask questions and obey His word. “Lord I don’t understand what this means?” “What are you asking me to do about this? “ Prayer is conversation with our Father. He speaks and I listen. I speak and He listens. “The ultimate purpose of prayer is not to get what we want, but to learn to want what He gives.” [John Maxwell, “Partners in Prayer”]

Let Him be in charge. “We worry, because we are not in control and the problem is we were never intended to be in control. There is seldom anything functionally wrong with us as people. It is simply that we get ourselves into the wrong position. We are like a passenger on an airplane who, having bound and gagged the pilot, attempts to fly the plane himself. He soon finds, to his sorrow, that he does not know enough about flying to keep the plane under control. Our new pilot is becoming anxious, understandably. He begins to turn the knobs of the control panel. Perspiration is cascading down his cheeks. He is presently the world’s busiest, most serious and most foolish man! His only hope lies in asking the captain to take over the controls. If our mutinous passenger is to be saved, he must get back into his assigned seat, buckle his seat belt as the other passengers have done and behave himself.” [Earl Jabay, “The God-Players”]
To acknowledge Him is to let Him be the Lord of our life by choice. Joshua said it well, “Now fear the Lord and serve Him with faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshipped…But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” [Josh. 24:14,15]
Let Him be your pilot, not just your copilot.

Be aware of His presence. God is with us. His name is “Emmanuel” which means “God with us.” [Matt. 1:23] He said, “Surely, I am with you always…” [Matt. 28:20]
It is one thing to know He is there, but it is another to acknowledge His presence. My wife tells me that it hurts her when I take her for granted and don’t acknowledge her presence. It must hurt our Lord also.
In addition, “Yada” means to “feel his presence.” Emotions are God-given gifts to share God’s heart. David said of the Lord, “You have made known to me the paths of life; you fill me with joy in your presence.” [Psa. 16:11]

Consider Him. We need to make Him a part of our plans, because “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” [Prov. 19:21] We must consider His will in our planning. “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city…carry on business and make money.’ Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow… Instead you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” [Ja. 4:13-15]
“We have only one recourse,” says Malcolm Muggeridge, “to put aside every other consideration, the backwards and the forwards, hope and despair, ardour and listlessness, and get down on our knees to pray with the utmost humility, and utterly meaning it: ‘Thy will be done,’ confident that our Creator’s purpose for His creation is to do with love rather than power, with peace and not strife, with Eternity rather than Time, and with our souls rather than our bodies or minds.”

Care about Him. To acknowledge Him is to be considerate of His heart and His feelings. “I looked for sympathy, but there was none. And for comforters, but I found no one.” [Psa. 69:20] Instead of trying to get Him to care about us, when He already does, we need to care about Him. There must come a time when we seek to comfort Him, more than to seek His comfort.

Recognize Him. Learn to look for Him all day, especially in the little things. Malcolm Muggeridge said, “For every situation and eventuality there is a parable if you look carefully enough. God will always turn up, though in what guise and in what circumstances cannot be foreseen…” [“Confessions of a Twentieth Century Pilgrim”]
God is speaking all around us; we just have to open our eyes. “God’s glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening. Their words aren’t heard. Their voices aren’t recorded. But their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.” [Psa. 19:1, 2 “The Message”]

Declare Him. Proverbs 3:6 can be translated, “In all your ways, make Him known.” We can make Him known by words and actions. We can honor spontaneous declarations of God’s love and works. Instead of saying, “It’s a nice day,” we can say “God has given us a nice day.” Simple gestures of kindness and love declare Him to a world that is blind to His ways.

Discover Him. Paul said the supreme value in life is to get to know God. In this age of information, the first thing we need to know is God. We are covered with mountains of paper and pages of E-Mail. In all this confusion, we can narrow down the voices and get to know Him. I consider everything a loss compared to the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost everything. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ.” [Phil. 3:8]
What Fenelon said in the 1600’s is still fitting today, “What men lack most is the knowledge of God. They know when they have read a good deal, a certain sequence of miracles and works of the providence in the deeds of history. They have made serious reflections on the corruption and frailty of the world. They are even convinced of certain maxims useful to reform their habits as touching their salvation. But all this edifice lacks foundation. This body of religion and Christianity is without a soul. What should stir the truly faithful is the idea of a God who is all, who does all, and to whom we owe all.”
Spurgeon adds, “It has been said by someone that “the proper study of mankind is man.” I will not oppose the idea, but I believe that it is equally true that the proper study of God’s people is God. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom we call Father.
“If I am going to know who Jesus is, I must obey Him. The majority of us don’t know Jesus, because we have not the remotest intention of obeying Him. In the spiritual domain nothing is explained until we obey, and then it is not so much an explanation as an instant discernment.” [Oswald Chambers]

Tell Him. Before telling your friends, family, or others, tell Him. He knows all about it. He has the best insight. He has more love and concern for you than any other person in the universe.
Be honest and open with Him about all your thoughts, and then you will have deep friendship with Him. “If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” [I Jn. 1:6]

Be His friend. I will never forget the time I read that Abraham was the friend of God and felt that being God’s was the highest desire in my heart. As the years have gone by, that desire has grown to the number one goal in my life.
The really good news is that He calls us His friends. “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” [Jn. 15:14] He sticks “closer than a brother.” [Prov. 18:24] He is the best friend we can have; because He speaks the truth, stands behind His promises, and understands our trials.
These are all synonyms of “acknowledge Him.” And in acknowledging Him we have the promise of His guidance.