“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in
his way. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord
upholds him with His hand” (Psalm 37:23-24 NKJV).
There can be no greater secret of success than for God to order one’s
step day by day. When God is your guide, you can never go astray. I recall an
old chorus that used to be popular among Christians years ago. The lyrics are
as follows: “The Lord knows the way to
the Promised Land, all I have to do is to follow. Strength for today, smiling
all the way, and all that I need for tomorrow. The Lord knows the way to the
Promised Land, all I have to do is to follow.” When you are going to a
place you have not been before, you would certainly need a good map, a good
navigator or a good guide. The surety that you will get to your destination
depends on the accuracy of the map/navigator you have or on how well your guide
knows the way. A few years ago I was going to preach in our church in New
Haven, Connecticut in the United States of America. I flew into John F. Kennedy
airport in New York and a brother had to come and pick me from the airport to
Connecticut. Unfortunately, the navigator he had in his car malfunctioned and
kept us running around in New York for a long time without finding our route to
where we were going. At one point, after being thoroughly frustrated, he had to
discard the instructions of the navigating machine and asked people to direct
us. To succeed in 2016, you must get a good map/navigator or a guide that can
give you accurate direction to your destination otherwise you will not get
there.
Our text reveals God’s commitment to guide those who would trust Him
for direction. The Hebrew word translated “good” in this verse is geber, which does not mean “good” in
English. The word implies “a conqueror or hero.” The idea God wants to communicate is that
even the strongest among us would fail if he does not have God on his side as
his guide. Any form of human power, strength or ability
will not take us any closer to the success we desire this year unless we
consciously lay them at the feet of our Lord and yield to His guidance. The
book of Proverbs exhorts us, “Trust in
the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all
your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths “(Proverbs 3:5-6
NKJV). This is the way we must go this year. There should be no half
measures. We must trust God with all our heart because being smart will not
avail us much. Permit me, even at the risk of being repetitive, to share the
Message Bible rendering of this scripture. “Trust
God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your
own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the
one who will keep you on track.” To
receive direction from God, one must have to wait on Him to hear His
instructions. Sometimes we are in a hurry to wait to hear God before making
decisions on issues. This year we must learn to wait patiently for Him even if
He tarries at speaking. He is fully committed to showing us the way to go. “The LORD says, I will guide you along the
best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you” (Psalm 32:8
NLT). God knows the best way to achieve the best we can achieve in life. It
makes good sense to let Him lead us.
God delights in the person who allows Him to order his or her steps.
One’s “step” implies the course of one’s life; the trajectory that life is
meant to follow. As the pilot sets the
trajectory of the plane in flight or as the driver determines the direction the
car should follow, so does God want to determine the course of our lives. There
can be no better way to please God than to let Him set the course of your life
and lead you along that course. In this way, He takes total responsibility over
you and if for any reason you stumble along the way, He will be handy to steady
you. Perchance you slip and fall; He will pick you up and put you back on the
path to success. The key to all these is prayer. You must decide to spend more
time in prayer this year than you ever did before. God most commonly reveals
His will and counsels to people when they are bowed in prayer. When He visits
you secretly in your prayer closet, He will manifest you publicly by the level
of breakthrough He will bring your way. A
great and happy year awaits us, but we must let God lead the way.
May the Lord bless you with clear direction as you look up to Him
for guidance this year in Jesus name. It shall be well with you.
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