He had the look of a man resigned to follow this trail down the years, as long as he should live.”
–Alan LeMay (The Searchers)
“Indeed, He loves the people; All Your holy ones are in Your hand, And they followed in Your steps; Everyone takes of Your words.”
–Deuteronomy 33:3 (NASB)
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“The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives.” –Psalm 37:23 (NLT)
“A man’s steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way.” –Psalm 37:23 (HCSB)
Perhaps one of the most hated, misunderstood, and neglected doctrines of the Bible is the sovereignty of God. Man, especially the unbeliever, definitely doesn’t want to look at the sovereignty for it tells of his destiny. Christians, and I have never understood why, dislike this doctrine as well. The main reason is that of selfishness. They still want to hold onto the reins of their life. Even among believers they love that song by Sinatra, “I did it my way,” and yet it is very anti-Christian for our lives should be concerned with doing things God’s way.
I was raised to simply trust the Lord. That’s it, nothing big; in all situations recognize that He is in control. That does not mean He makes me take a step, but He guides my steps and is there if I take a misstep. I have always enjoyed this song by W. Elmo Mercer.
“Each step I take my Saviour goes before me,
And with His loving hand He leads the way.
And with each breath I whisper ‘I adore Thee’;
Oh, what joy to walk with Him each day.”
There is comfort in knowing that Jesus is leading us through this life. He is there when we walk through the storms and He is there in the heat of the dry spells. He is with us through the valleys and as we traverse the high mountains, and the rocky crags threaten us. It should be our faith, and certainly our joy to know that He is with us.
“At times I feel my faith begin to waver,
When up ahead I see a chasm wide.
It’s then I turn and look up to my Saviour,
I am strong when He is by my side.”
Look at the Scripture verses above. There are two things to concentrate upon. First, it is the steps of the godly that are established. Not the man in the world, not the mocker, or the good man, but the man who seeks God with his heart. The second is that God delights in watching us walk the narrow way. He takes pleasure in our very steps, our every breath, and even when we might falter, He is there holding onto our hand.
“I trust in God, no matter come what may,
For life eternal is in His hand.
He holds the key that opens up the way,
That will lead me to the promised land.”
We far too often fear the wrong things. Many churches are still struggling with the virus of two years ago. Where is the trust of those in the congregation? Why are people so afraid, when God is by their side? No matter come what may! If we truly believe that He holds our hand, and that our eternal destiny lies with Him, why do we fear so much? Sure there are difficulties in life–trust Him. Yes, sometimes the winds howl and the storm rages–trust Him. Sickness, suffering, even death may come, but through it all–trust Him.
“Each step I take I know that He will guide me;
To higher ground He ever leads me on.
Until some day the last step will be taken,
Each step I take just leads me closer home.”
Realize that He is guiding and that He will never take you into a place where He cannot keep you. It may be through the valley of the shadow of death, but He is there with you all the way. To finish, let’s look at the Amplified version, “The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step].” I like that, the Lord busies Himself with each of our steps. Think of that!