Week Twenty-Four - The Steps of a Good Man

Beside the Well

               Life holds many amazing moments.  This past Sunday evening was one of those for me.  I sat with one of my two younger grand-girls on each side as I watched their father, my youngest son, be ordained to the ministry.  Around me sat more children, grandchildren, in-laws, and family friends as we relished the moment.  The messaged, delivered by Grandpa Gritts, was based around the steps we take in Christian life: salvation, service, surrender, and being sent.  Then, after the laying on of hands and a prayer for spiritual power and discernment, my son became a reverend.  His next step is Spain, where God has called him to serve as a church-planting missionary.

               I thought of the many steps it had taken for him to get to this place: growing up on the mission field, getting his education, marriage and family, internship and experience.  Then, I thought of the many steps that lay ahead.  What comfort there is in knowing the “steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23).  God has a path for my son and will be with him every step of the journey.  God has worked throughout his life to bring him to the place he is today, and with the same faithfulness, God is ready for every step in the future.

               This truth is not just for those who are following the Lord into full time service, but for everyone who is willing to walk alongside the Lord.  Over and over throughout the books of Psalms and Proverbs we read about steps, order, direction and guidance.  God is willing to show us the way if we will look to Him.  His word is the light for our path.  He never intended for us to stumble in darkness or wander about with no direction.  He wants us to know the confidence that comes from seeing where we are going and knowing we are in His will.

               But, you will say, “there are times when we cannot see the way.”  You are right.  Sometimes there may be fog on the path, or voices calling from the dark, or an inability to determine the right direction, but if we will continue by faith doing what God has shown us to do and leave the rest to him, the fog will clear and the path will be illuminated.   

I love Deuteronomy 29:29. “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”   This teaches me that the way to walk with the Lord is to continue by faith doing what God has shown me to do and leave the rest to Him.  When I take steps in accordance with His word and keep my eyes on Him, the path will shine and lead me to the next step with full assurance of His promises fulfilled in my life.

               My mind and heart are flooding with songs about following, taking steps, and the promise of God’s direction and provision.
“My Lord Knows the Way Through the Wilderness”, “Follow On”, “Each Step I Take” and “He Leadeth Me”, are just a few.  These songs accompany me through my journey and encourage me to take steps that will show my faith and trust in a God who truly does order my steps.