The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. Psalm 37:23
Remember when you were a child and you took a walk with an adult - maybe your mother, father, or a favorite aunt or uncle? You were always eager to walk faster, to run ahead to see what was around the next corner. Or you wanted to lag behind to watch an ant carrying a burden way bigger than itself. (Hmmm…where was it going and why was it carrying such a big load?) Or you wanted to duck under that barb-wire fence to cut across the farmer’s field. Sometimes you were just tired and didn’t want to keep going.
Remember how you weren’t really watching your steps? You were too busy seeing what was coming next or looking back to where you had just been. You never saw that bump in the road, that stone on the path, that branch that lay across the trail. And when you stumbled, you would have fallen headlong into the ditch except for the strong hand holding yours, the hand that you had been straining and pulling against the whole time you were walking together.
Or remember when you wanted to dash across the street, or dilly dally while crossing, but the hand holding yours made you stop at the curb, look both ways, and then walk steadily across? Frustrating to stop and wait, right?
Oh, we get it now that we’re older and we are the ones with the strong hand. We understand that we were being kept safe by the one holding our hand. That one knew the path better than we did. That one saw what we did not see coming. That there would always be obstacles but there was a way around, over, or through them if we had proper guidance. We just needed to stop trying to pull away, stop trying to resist instruction and enjoy the journey.
I’m so thankful that God knows the path I take. He established the route. He laid it out. He points the way. And then, He joins me on the journey! What a Lord! When I encounter obstacles, He gets me through. And when I am afraid to travel on … when I fear what might be around the next corner, He holds my hand. My job? To delight in Him, trust and obey, and enjoy the journey wherever He takes me. What peace there is in knowing that it’s not all up to me to figure out. God already knows the way. He’s been there before. Thank You, Jesus!
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
Blessings,
Ruth
