January 10th

Psalm 37:23-24 - The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. When we wake up each morning, most of us have some sort of plan or schedule for our day. We think about what we are going to do, where we are going to go, and what we would like to accomplish. More often than not, we can find ourselves getting so caught up in our little world, that we can forget that as children of God, one of the main goals we have for our lives is to walk in righteousness. This is one of the guiding principles in the Christian life: to live a righteous life before God in this world. If we were to think about what God would want us to do each day, we may find ourselves realizing some of the truths in these verses more and more. Going to the Lord at the start of the day shows that you understand the first truth in this verse. We will take many steps, but God is the one who establishes them. We may have plans, but his established plan will prevail over ours every time. The rebellious part of us doesn’t like this very much, but if we were to see his plan for us as perfect and good, then it may not bother us as much as the uncertainty of our own plans, many of which we can’t actually control. Believing that God is the one who has established our way helps us to walk in confidence, boldness and courage. We can trust him that whatever happens, he is not surprised by it, and therefore we need not fear it. As we walk in faith, God actually delights in us. We talk a lot about delighting in God, but here we see that he actually delights in us when we walk in the way he has given us. Not only do we have him delighting in us as we walk with him, but we see that even if we were to fall, we will not ultimately fall because the Lord is with us. What is even more profound is that God isn’t walking far away from us, leading us from a distance, but he is close enough to where when we begin to fall, he holds our hand to keep us steady. Oh how often we forget how much God loves his children! He delights in us when we walk in his ways and he holds us up when those ways are challenging and cause us to stumble. Today you will take many steps, and you can choose to walk in the righteousness of the Lord or you can choose to simply get the things of the day completed before you have to go to sleep. Look to the Lord for this day, trusting him and his love for you. The way of the Lord is not an easy path, but it is a good one. No matter how difficult the steps before you become, you are never alone. You always have the Lord to hold your hand and carry you through, delighting in you all along the way. The Lord knows far better than we do regarding the road ahead. Hold fast to him today, as he holds fast to you.