The Lord Upholds His People
The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand. – Psalm 37:23-24
As we continue seeking God’s counsel in His Word in regards to the path God has us on, it is easy to recognize that although God generally makes clear His instructions and guidance for our lives, we all fall short of fulfilling all God has put before us. We falter in our ability to attain a 100% success rate in adhering to the instructions and guidance of God. As we move through life, aware that God has fully redeemed us and called us into His Son, we also come face to face with the reality that we are not yet fully like Him.
Metaphorically speaking, our feet, the instruments we use to take each step on God’s path, have not yet reached perfected glory with Christ in heaven. We cannot trust our “feet”, our desires, our actions, or our thoughts to be perfect on this side of heaven. For this reason, God has given us assurance. He has assured us greatly in the person of Jesus, His Son. He has also assured us of His steadying hand through His countless promises in Scripture. One of these promises is found in Psalm 37:23-24.
This passage joyfully proclaims that if we find our delight and our joy in the person of Christ, coming to Him alone for the overflowing fulfillment of our soul, He will make firm our steps. The faulty, broken, yielding walk of our feet will be made firm by our knowing of Christ. As we are in Christ through His life, death, and resurrection, we receive His firm feet. Because of this, as we continue to delight in knowing and experiencing Christ, we may walk confidently along the path God has put before us.
The second verse is an encouragement which follows directly out of this delight we must find in Jesus. As we are still human, and we still sin, there will be moments in which we stumble. We will mess things up. We will hurt people. We will hurt ourselves. Yet, this verse is clear. We will not fall. Because Christ is making our steps firm, He holds us too closely for us to be able to fall away from Him. We may stumble, but our loving Father, who loves us with the same love He has for His Son, will continue to hold us up. He will continue to draw us back to Him. Although our feet may fail, our God and His steadfast faithful love for us will never fail.
Action Step: Read Proverbs 16:1-9. How does this passage challenge you in your understanding of the Lord establishing your steps?
