My Steps Are Directed!

June 30, 2026

“Our steps are made firm by the Lord when he delights in our way; through we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand.” Psalm 37:23-24

My Steps Are Directed!

The Lord God is both present with us and at work in us during our trials and troubles and temptations. The Lord is doing things we could have never dreamed nor imagined. The Lord sees what we as of yet cannot see. The Lord is doing what we as of yet do not know needs to be done. The Lord has a direction we as of yet do not understand.

When the consequences of our choices knock us down, the Lord God raises us up. Sadly, we will fall again and again and again. Even though it is not fair, trouble comes again and again and again. The good news is the Lord takes us by the hand and lifts us up again and again and again.

In Proverbs 24:16 we hear; “…for though they (the righteous) fall seven times, they will rise again, but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.” No matter how many times or how hard you fall, the Lord will raise you up again.

David had fallen enough times he knew it was the Lord God who took him by the hand and raised him up. In Psalm 37:23-24 David writes; “Our steps are made firm by the Lord when he delights in our way; through we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand.” With David, we remember that rarely are we able to raise ourselves up after a fall without the help of the Lord God working directly in us or working through other people.

The good news is the Lord God does not desire us to stay down when we have fallen. He reaches out His hand to lift us up and desires we will continue to trust and obey as we walk with Him. The Apostle Paul understood that even in the midst of our most catastrophic failure and painful fall there is nothing we can do that will be able to separate us from the love of Jesus.

In Romans 8:38-39 the Apostle Paul reminds us; “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In order to trust this promise of God, you must first trust the Lord God takes pleasure in and delight in you. The Lord God desires to be your strength, your help, and your hope. David reminds us of God’s character in seasons of trouble and failure when we fall.

In Psalm 46:1-2 David writes; “God is our refuge and strength, a very presenthelp in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea…”

In Psalm 62:2 David writes; “He (the Lord God) alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken.”

In Psalm 50:12 David writes; “Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”

In Psalm 138:7-8 David writes; “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”

In Isaiah 41:10 Isaiah writes; “…do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”

My steps are directed by the Lord God when I am trusting and obeying His Word and when my choices have led me away from His presence and out of His will and way for my life. The Lord has one great desire; to live in my heart, my mind, and my soul in this life and in the life to come!

Whatever fall or failure you have experienced, the Lord God still reaching out His hand to draw you near to His heart. Whatever fall or failure you are experiencing right now, the Lord God is still directing your steps back to His heart and into His presence.

The Lord God is directing you to move ahead on a firm foundation which you will find in Him. In Psalm 37:23 David writes; “Our steps are made firm by the Lord when he delights in our way…” I am reminded of a song written in 1787 by Robert Keen. Take a moment to reflect upon the words of the song and the promise of God in Psalm 37:23.

How Firm A Foundation

“How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in God’s excellent Word!
What more can be said than to you God hath said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
for I will be near thee, thy troubles to bless,
and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake.”[1]

The Lord’s hand is reaching out for you right now…to lift you up, to direct your course, and to provide a firm foundation.

Trust the Lord God enough to take His hand. Trust the Lord God enough to trust His grace is always sufficient. Trust the Lord God enough to know He will give you His strength in your weakness, He will give you His courage in your fear, He will give you His hope in your despair.

In Psalm 37:23-24 David writes; “Our steps are made firm by the Lord when he delights in our way; through we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand.”  

Reflect

Describe how you are experiencing the grace of God as completely sufficient for the season in which you are living now? If you would take hold of the outstretched hand of Jesus and be totally submitted to His power and His direction what difference would it make? Describe where Jesus is wanting to lead you right now.  

Pray

Lord God, I often hesitate to reach out my hand to receive your hand. I confess sometimes I just forget to reach out to you. There are other times, however, when I remember you are reaching out to help me, heal me, or direct me and yet still try to do it on my own. Forgive me for my tendency to self-sufficiency. Help me to trust your desire to lift me up and set me on your path again. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Act

Write a list of the ways Jesus has recently reached out His hand to lift you up when you have fallen or failed. Discuss with a friend why you hesitate to take the outstretched hand of Jesus when you feel you are falling or when you feel like a failure. Ask you friend to pray for you.

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[1] Robert Keen, “How Firm A Foundation” (1787), The United Methodist Hymnal (Nashville, TN: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1989), #529.