Order My Steps – Psalm 37

Reading from a Psalm written by King David:

²³ The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.  ²⁴ Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.  Psalm 37:23 (NKJV)

What constitutes a good woman or man?

In God’s eyes, it is one who seeks Him, who cares what God thinks and tries to walk accordingly.  It does not mean we will always succeed.  In fact, failure is almost assured, as no person is perfect, and we all need daily forgiveness and cleansing from our sins and shortcomings.  But we can seek to make progress as we get up each morning to tackle the challenges of the day, trying to follow God’s way.

This psalm of David tells us that if we seek to follow Him, God will order our steps.  He will lead us towards the good works that He has prepared beforehand for us to do.  He will also send us all kinds of people – fun ones, the interruptions, the angry, the needy – and He wants us to love and serve them all to honor Him. This is the nature of God. When we seek to do this, this psalm tells us that He will delight in our ways and guide us through life.

Sometimes it is hard to imagine that by doing something as simple as loving others, we bring delight to the Creator of the universe. Simple, but not always easy.

God will always be on our side. Like a parent teaching a toddler to walk, He will not condemn us for the times that we fall. Rather, He will lovingly uphold us with His hand, lifting us up, and forgiving us as we turn back to Him. This Psalm promises this to us. As we turn away from our sin, He equips us to succeed on our journey through life.

David continues in Psalm 37:

²⁵ I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.  ²⁶ He is ever merciful and lends and his descendants are blessed.  Psalm 37:25-26 (NKJV)

God nudges us to be generous to others, and in so doing, He delights in being generous to us and our families, even our descendants.

One of the blessings that God gives us as we follow Him is contentment.  Satisfaction is a gift, and it brings a peace and serenity that money cannot buy.  No human wisdom or power can penetrate our soul to give us the kind of fulfillment that God’s presence and warm love can.  His overwhelming grace and mercy comes to us as we accept and claim the precious sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ in our lives. 

As we believe and invite Jesus into our hearts, He bestows us with a righteousness that covers all of our sin and shame. And all the blessings of God flow to us from there.

May God order each of our steps as we journey with Him today. May they lead us to a fruitful life of joy, peace, and service in Him.

Reflection

Who are some of the more challenging people that God has placed in your life?  Who are some of the biggest blessings? They could be one and the same!

Lord, teach us all to love those you have put in our path, both the easy-to-love and the hard-to-love ones.  We want to follow in Your steps to bring delight to You.  Teach us to forgive others as You have forgiven us, and to give generously when You point out a need. Grant us peace, serenity, and contentment as we seek to walk with You in love today.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.