Day 21: The Steps

“The STEPS of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23

Father’s Day this year has come and gone. If you were on Facebook or the internet for any length of time, I am sure that you saw pictures of fathers holding their son’s hands as they walked along. That seems to be used often during this time of year. They say that “A picture is worth a thousand words.” That is probably most true of this picture. Even though you see it in still life, can you just imagine all the words that have been spoken between the two down through the years as that young lad grew up?

Another popular picture during Father’s Day is a small son trying to follow in the steps of his father. Of course, his legs are shorter and his feet smaller, but he tries none-the-less. Does he fit into each one? No, I am positive that he does not. Yet, that does not stop him from trying. Then an amazing thing happens, that young son begins to grow. His legs get a bit  longer each year. He has new shoes this year because his feet have also grown. Then one day, he becomes that father.

God is our Father and as our Father, he will guide us with His footsteps. David tells us here that “the steps of a good man are ordered [established] by the LORD.” Can you see that here? Our Father has already walked ahead of us paving (establishing) the way, so to speak. We have no reason to question or doubt which path to follow for He already has     established it! How easy is that?

Verse 24 takes our steps a bit further for it says that when “a good man” falls, “he shall not be utterly cast down.” As a child learning to walk, what happens? He will fall. But, when he falls, he does not stay down. No, before you know it, he is back up on his feet trying again. He may not have done it perfectly the first time, but he will not let that hinder him from trying again … and again … and again.

In our Christian walk with God, how many times have we faltered and fallen? We have believed another lie that Satan has told. We have gotten our eyes off of God and onto man. We have let self dictate when and where we will go. There are many stumbling blocks in life, are there not? These are only a few. It only takes one to make us mess up. But, let us not let that one keep us down for the count. Let us rise up and go at it again. One day our legs will be long enough and our feet big enough to fit more comfortably in the pathway that God has established and laid out before us.

Trivia question: How do you know if you are on the right path? There will be joy and delight (verse 23), correct? When we travel, there is no joy or delight when we find that we have taken the wrong path. But, even if we have not reached our destination yet, as long as we stay on the right path, there we find joy and delight. So, let us not forget the truth of that little chorus that we learned as a child in church … “My Lord knows the way through the wilderness. All I have to do is  follow!”

If we follow Him, He will keep us on the right path.