Acknowledging God

Solomon wrote, "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.  Fear the Lord and turn away from evil." (Proverbs 3:5-7)  I think those verses should be linked, not considered separately.  Solomon is telling the reader to trust God, period.  Don't try to figure this out for yourself.  Trust His leading.  Verse 6 seems to be the capstone of these three, but neither verse 5 nor 7 are forgettable.  We trust Him, we fear, as in respecting His authority.  The word "acknowledge" means more than a tip of the hat or a cursory task to be completed.  It actually means to know, it "engages the whole energies of the soul (Delitzsch), and sees in God power, wisdom, providence, goodness, and justice. This meaning is conveyed by the Vulgate 'cogitare', which is 'to consider' in all parts, 'to reflect upon.'" (Biblehub.com)  We can therefore trust in the Lord because we have come to know Him.  We have learned that He is faithful.  He will make our path straight, hedged about so that it is plain to see the direction we should travel.  He will surely inform us when we stray IF we know Him, have learned His ways, and intentionally live under His guidance.  It is not necessarily freedom to do anything we want but freedom to do everything we want under the watchful eye of our loving Heavenly Father.  When we fall under His authority, we can trust Him to keep us safe.  When we respect His authority, we will not "kick against the pricks", we will not force our way but will trust Him to provide a clear path, that is, we will turn from demanding our own ways and instead lean into the way provided.  May God help us to listen and follow His clear path.