People who love God make mistakes. Perhaps you know what it is to look around and all of a sudden not feel as close to God as you once were. There is a strong promise in Psalm 37:23 that can guide our feet back onto the right path, “The steps of a man are established by the Lord when he delights in his way.” The original word for established is the Hebrew word kuwn. There are multiple layers of this fascinating word in the original language of the Old Testament. Our translators have to choose one English word to convey its meaning, but in Hebrew, there are many rich meanings to uncover. The NIV uses the word firm. The NLT uses the word direct, and the KJV uses the word ordered. Other words could be appoint, fix, and prosper.
I would like to explore some of these various meanings to help you see the greater scope of how God desires to work in your life. I think God wants to do far more in us and through us than we can comprehend. So, as we explore this verse together, let us invite the Lord to take a far more active role in our daily decisions. Let us welcome Him to do daily life with us.
Photo Credit: Image created using DALL.E 2024 AI technology and subsequently edited and reviewed by our editorial team.
1. Does God Plan Every Step of Our Lives?
One way of viewing the daily rhythm of our life is to understand that God has prepared our steps before the day has even arrived. Listen to how the psalmist described it.
“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” - Psalm 139:16
How is it that God could prepare our steps before we were conceived? It is because God exists outside of time. You and I are the creation. God is the eternal Creator. We are confined to years, months, weeks, days, hours, even seconds.
Think of it like this. If you were to view a parade from the street sidewalk, your view would be quite limited. You could only see what passed by you at the moment. However, if you had a ten thousand-foot view, you would be able to see the parade from beginning to end. So is life. We are unable to see into next year. Quite frankly, we are unable to see into the next hour. Yet God has an altogether different view. Scripture teaches that God is:
“Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’” - Isaiah 46:30
There is a destructive teaching happening in today’s church. It is called Open Theism. It is the belief that because of man’s free will, God Himself does not know the choices man will make. Therefore, God cannot know the future because it is open-ended. I would encourage those who hold to open theism over the sovereignty of God to think through Isaiah 46:30.
It is because God works outside of the confinements of time that He can say, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). Should someone say that only applies to the prophet Jeremiah, note what the scriptures say about today’s believer.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” - Ephesians 2:10
In other words, before you were born, you were already created in Christ to do great things for God’s glory. Only a God who is able to see eternity past, eternity present, and eternity future could make such a statement. This is why we can be confident that every step we take is prepared by an eternal God.
2. Will God Make Every Step of Our Lives Clear?
Do you sometimes question the direction your life is going? It can be so easy to question God and ourselves. Either way, life often leaves us with more questions than answers. In these times of uncertainty, I seem to struggle the most. A few mornings ago, while listening to my local weather, they issued a thick fog advisory. I laughed and thought to myself how often my prayer life has felt like this weather report. Most of us know the frustration of praying sincerely, but Heaven seems silent. Perhaps this is where you are right now. Take heart because the Scriptures do not leave us to ourselves to figure out our own way or find our own answers.
Another beautiful meaning of the Hebrew word kûn is “established” or “confirmed.” This means when we question our next step, God has a way of confirming what we should do. Proverbs 4:18 is a scripture I have leaned on through many twists and turns in life. It paints a vivid picture of the dawning of a new day. Most people who follow my teaching ministry called Awakened to Grace know that I am completely blind, losing eyesight in 2018. However, prior to going blind, I remember many mornings driving to work through the thick fog. Many cars come equipped with fog lamps just for such occasions.
So, what should we do in times of uncertainty? First, make sure we’re on the right path. This promise is made for those on the path of righteousness in Proverbs 4:18:
"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.”
Take inventory to see if we are living right and if we are truly hungry and thirsting for righteousness (Matthew 5:6). Are we seeking first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33)? If the priorities of our lives do not have us on the right path, then how can we expect the right outcome?
Lastly, patiently trust God’s promises. While the promise is clear, it's the patience part that I struggle with. If I take measures to ensure I am on the right path, then the promise is that the clarity is going to come, growing brighter and brighter like the full noonday. So what do we do until midday? Be patient! Proverbs 4 ends with a wonderful promise. Ponder the path of our feet (are our lives on a righteous path), then all our ways will be sure (the promises of God are yes and amen) (Proverbs 4:26).
3. Can We Count on Every Step of Our Lives to Be Stable?
Another meaning of the Hebrew word, kûn, is “stable.” Mental health is going to be the issue of our time. According to USA Today, mental illness affects more than 50 million Americans, with anxiety being number one. Oddly enough, the most searched Bible verse, according to Google, is Philippians 4:6,
Yet anxiety is the leading issue of mental health. Another good word for stabilize in Psalm 37:23 is “fix.” It carries the idea of stability. Picture walking along the mud, where it would be so easy for our feet to slip. The word fix here means “etched in stone.” Rather than walking in slippery places, scripture says God will make our steps like walking on concrete. In other words, they will be sure and steadfast.
Photo Credit: Image created using DALL.E 2024 AI technology and subsequently edited and reviewed by our editorial team.
4. God Works Every Step for Our Good.
Of all the rich meanings of the Hebrew word kûn, my favorite is that God will make our steps right. This means that when we misstep or find ourselves outside of God’s will and off the path of righteousness, God has a way of turning our steps back toward Him. God redeems our steps. The great Bible teacher Vance Havner used to say that detours are always rougher than the main roads, but the good news is that detours eventually get us back on the main road.
If you have misstepped and feel like you are on a detour road, I want to encourage you that God has a way of getting you back on track. Not only are your steps prepared by God, established and confirmed, fixed and stable, but they are also promised to be made right when we fail.
If you desire to be back on the path of righteousness, decide today to turn your feet from your own path to God’s ways. If there is a prodigal in your life who is currently far from God, ask the Lord to turn their feet back toward Him. This promise is firm, and God will be faithful to accomplish His word and do a great work in your life.
Related Podcast: Authority is a concept that we sometimes struggle to understand or appreciate. We don’t always understand how it’s obtained, and when someone else possesses it, we don’t always know how to respond. Host & Pastor John Stange explains Jesus's Authority in his sermon.
Chad’s pastoral career has not been defined by blindness. Rather, it is his clear, biblical teaching that continues to grow an audience. He has traveled through forty nations, training pastors and strengthening churches.
Today, Chad teaches people to trust a God they cannot see. His days are filled with the things he loves most: leading, speaking, writing, and of course, coffee! He is a spiritual content creator. By God’s grace, he is emerging as a trusted spiritual voice in people’s lives. Chad may have blindness, but blindness does not have him.
Originally published Thursday, 06 June 2024.