The King James Version of Psalm 119:133 reads, “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” Other translations use different phrasing, such as “establish my footsteps” (NASB), “direct my footsteps,” (NIV) or “keep steady my footsteps” (ESV).
Although the translations vary, they all portray the psalmist’s desire to live according to God’s loving wisdom. While the exact phrase “order my steps” may only appear in one translation of a single verse, the theme of God directing His people in the way they should go runs throughout Scripture and is an integral part of what it means to be a disciple of Christ—the greatest calling of all believers.
What Does it Mean For God to Order Our Steps?
When we repent and turn to Christ, we acknowledge that we have been wrong. We have lived in a way that does not honor our created design—a way that does not glorify God. In doing so, we have wounded ourselves and others. We have lost sight of what is good and true.
Repentance is a turning from that way of life and a turning to Christ, who is “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). It is a process of dethroning one’s own will and reinstating God’s will. Thus, Romans 10:9 says that those who believe God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and confess with their mouth Jesus as Lord will be saved. Being a Christian is not simply a matter of acknowledging that God is real but a matter of choosing to follow Him.
In following Christ, we are asking Him to order our steps, to guide us as we attempt to live like Christ in a world that pulls us in every other direction. Verse 105 in Psalm 119 paints a picture of what it looks like for God to order our steps. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,” it reads. The psalmist uses darkness or blindness to describe those who do not acknowledge God in their ways (Prov. 4:19, Rom. 1:21). In a world shaped by darkness, God’s word acts as an illuminating force, showing us the right way, ordering our steps according to wisdom.
What Does the Psalmist Say Will 'Order My Steps'?
The writer of Psalm 119 asks that God order His steps according to His word. This psalm is exceptional because it is the longest single chapter in the Bible—coming in at 176 verses. God’s word is referenced throughout the psalm, using various terms: His law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, judgments, words, and ordinances. The psalmist confirms all of them point to the character of the One who gave them. The psalmist wants the very heart of God to guide His steps, as revealed through His word.
As believers under the new covenant, we have the glorious benefit of knowing Christ, whom John refers to as “the Word” in the opening line of his gospel. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The term that John used for “Word” is Logos. In Greek philosophy, this term referred to divine reason or the natural law of the cosmos. According to the Stoics, aligning your life with the Logos was to live well. When John takes this term and applies it to Jesus, he uses a term familiar to both Jewish and Gentile audiences to show that the world was created and is sustained not merely by a mediating principle but through a personal God. Only in Jesus, through Whom the world was made (John 1:3), can we know truth and make sense of the world.
The Logos, a set of principles, was the Stoics’ guiding force. For a Jew (like the Psalmist), the word of God, as revealed in their recorded history, in the 613 laws that God gave to Moses, and the commandments that God gave directly to His people, revealed the Lord’s heart. He was their guide. For a new covenant believer, our guide is the Word: Jesus Christ, the fullest revelation of God the Father’s heart, will, and intentions (Heb. 1:3). To know Him better—and know God the Father and the Holy Spirit better—we must know the word of God as revealed through Scripture.
What Happens When We Let the Bible Order Our Steps?
“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinner, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water…”
Psalm 1:1-3 shows the advantage of living according to God’s law. The one who does so aligns with the truth. They will experience the inherent benefit built into the system. The book of Proverbs echoes this sentiment in its repetitive contrast of wisdom with foolishness. “He who trusts in His own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered” (Proverbs 28:26). Someone who has allowed God to order their steps is walking wisely and will be delivered. Fools will follow their own path and unavoidably stumble into the snare they set for themselves.
Apart from God’s wisdom, we are fools trusting in our own hearts, walking according to our own understanding—believing lies and living as if they were true. Inevitably, this will lead to ruin. But suppose we allow the Bible to order our steps? If so, we live according to the wisdom by which God established the earth (Prov. 3:19). We find the necessary conditions for experiencing the benefit of aligning ourselves with the truth.
Yes, we still live in a fallen world. Even if wisdom is applied to its fullest, bad things still happen. The prosperity gospel falls flat on its face. Karma loses its livelihood. Stoicism falls short.
While the Stoics would agree with Christians that the best way to live was to align oneself with natural law, they had little to offer when nature seemed to crumble in on itself. As Jesus Himself can testify, allowing God’s word to order one’s steps will not exempt one from suffering. What then?
Christians have an even greater hope than a life untouched by harm. As we allow the Word of God to guide and teach us, we grow in conformity with Christ and our understanding of His heart. As we “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,” we “increase in our knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10). As we trust Him and find that He is true to His word, our faith more precious than gold (1 Peter 1:7), is strengthened and established. As we see the goodness in His wisdom, our understanding of His heart expands. As we experience His willingness to be our strength when His commandments feel too burdensome, we know Him as our “very present help” (Psalm 46:1). Our obedience becomes how we come to know Christ Himself. That is true joy and freedom. That is life eternal (John 17:3). Following God’s commandments safeguards us from our foolishness’s consequences, creating the space for greater intimacy with our Lord and Savior.
How Can We Start Letting God’s Word Order Our Steps Today?
For God’s Word to guide us, we must know His voice. The best way to become familiar with how He speaks is to read His Word.
To really know God’s voice and become transformed by it, we need to spend daily time in the Bible. After all, “man shall not live on bread alone, but man shall live on everything that comes out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3). Just as we cannot live and function without physical sustenance, we cannot thrive without the word of God. No matter how good it tastes, starving all week before having a feast does not make a healthy body. No matter how enriching, a Sunday service cannot replace a personal, daily interaction with God through His Word. Like any relationship, you cannot truly know someone without spending time with them. Only when His revelation of Himself shapes your image of God and your understanding of how He speaks through Scripture can you really know that you are obeying His voice? Only then can He truly “order your steps.”
If you want to start incorporating a daily Bible study into your life but don’t know the first steps, begin with a Bible reading plan. Choose a time of the day when you can consistently spend time reading the Bible. Bring other people into your journey. Find a mentor or friend with whom you can share your intention and then ask them to hold you accountable. Doing so will give you another person to process what you have been learning with. We aren’t meant to live our Christ life alone! We were made to grow in relationships.
The Holy Spirit will teach and convict you as you spend more time in Scripture. God’s Word will reveal areas of your life that need to be surrendered to and transformed by Him. This is a good thing, “for the Lord disciplines those whom He loves” (Heb. 12:6). It is an opportunity to choose faith in Christ as you allow Him to order your steps. If what He calls you to do feels too burdensome, remember Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:18-20:
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know…what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead…”
The power that raised Christ from the dead is available to you. Christianity is not a ‘pick yourself up by the bootstraps’ religion but God calling you to walk humbly in freedom by His grace.
Sometimes, His guidance will be less clear when big decisions arrive, and the route will appear foggy. Here, relationship, prayer, and surrender will become vital. Are all areas of your life surrendered to Christ? We can only expect to be led by Him in the big things if we listen to Him in the little. If you have chosen deafness in an area where He has been speaking, address that first. Then, as you come to Him with “clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:4), you can trust that He will guide you in all wisdom (James 1:5).
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This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.
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