The Steps of a good man
"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;" Psalm 37:23
God has all kinds of ways of pruning us to teach us how to trust Him and understand Him more. This pruning process, though painful, is something for which I have come to be thankful. As I have looked over the last month of my life, I have begun to see a trend. Nearly everyone I've gotten close to and leaned on for emotional support is out of my life, either permanently or temporarily. My dear friend passed away last month. Another close friend who I've come to rely on for prayer and support is moving away. My mother, my sister and others to whom I am very close are all out of town. Two more of my friends have slipped off the scene temporarily.
While I was contemplating this recent exodus of friends and confidants in my life, the above verse came to mind. I've never had much trouble understand the first part of this verse. God establishes our steps. For the believer, God goes ahead and makes our paths straight and orders our lives. That in itself is a comfort.
By his grace and Holy Spirit, he directs the thoughts, affections, and designs of good men. By his providence he overrules events, so as to make their way plain. He does not always show them his way for a distance, but leads them step by step, as children are led. God will keep them from being ruined by their falls, either into sin or into trouble, though such as fall into sin will be sorely hurt.
When my daily path starts to seem a little bleak, as it has in the last month or so, it is tempting to think that maybe God doesn't know what He is doing. When I realize, however, that God orders my steps day by day, I am comforted in the fact that He is delighting in me, and I in turn can delight in what He has in store for me, even in the dry and bleak times. Instead of thinking about how lonely I feel, I can rest in the fact that God is there for me, and this time, too, will be a blessed time.
God has all kinds of ways of pruning us to teach us how to trust Him and understand Him more. This pruning process, though painful, is something for which I have come to be thankful. As I have looked over the last month of my life, I have begun to see a trend. Nearly everyone I've gotten close to and leaned on for emotional support is out of my life, either permanently or temporarily. My dear friend passed away last month. Another close friend who I've come to rely on for prayer and support is moving away. My mother, my sister and others to whom I am very close are all out of town. Two more of my friends have slipped off the scene temporarily.
While I was contemplating this recent exodus of friends and confidants in my life, the above verse came to mind. I've never had much trouble understand the first part of this verse. God establishes our steps. For the believer, God goes ahead and makes our paths straight and orders our lives. That in itself is a comfort.
It is the next part of the verse that had me puzzled. Who is "he" who is delighting in "his way". Is the good man delighting in God's way? Or is the Lord delighting in the way of a good man? I asked a friend who is knowledgeable in the scriptures and his answer was "yes". Yes, God delights in the paths of a good man, and a good man delights in God's paths.
Matthew Henry in his commentary on the Psalms has this to say about it:
Matthew Henry in his commentary on the Psalms has this to say about it:
By his grace and Holy Spirit, he directs the thoughts, affections, and designs of good men. By his providence he overrules events, so as to make their way plain. He does not always show them his way for a distance, but leads them step by step, as children are led. God will keep them from being ruined by their falls, either into sin or into trouble, though such as fall into sin will be sorely hurt.
When my daily path starts to seem a little bleak, as it has in the last month or so, it is tempting to think that maybe God doesn't know what He is doing. When I realize, however, that God orders my steps day by day, I am comforted in the fact that He is delighting in me, and I in turn can delight in what He has in store for me, even in the dry and bleak times. Instead of thinking about how lonely I feel, I can rest in the fact that God is there for me, and this time, too, will be a blessed time.
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