HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div
Psalm 37:23-24
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand” (Psalm 37:23-24).
I. God ordains every step we take—the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the positive and the negative.
The verb “ordered” is very strong in the original Hebrew. It means to establish something so that it has a strong foundation. Proverbs 16:9 tells us that “in his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Same idea as our text. Most of us know that God “directs” our steps (Proverbs 3:6). But this verb is even stronger. God not only “directs” our steps, but he also “determines” or “orders” or “ordains” our steps. This includes our going out and our coming in, our lying down and our getting up, our waking and our sleeping, our buying and our selling, our talking and our listening, and our walking and our driving. Because he is God, there are no accidents with him. Nothing ever happens to the child of God by luck, chance or fate. No circumstance—whether good or bad—can come to us apart from God’s determined purpose for us.
All of us wonder what the new year will bring. What will happen in 2020? Will it be a good year or a bad year for us personally? I’ve researched that question diligently and I know the answer: Next year will be a lot like this year. In some ways, it will be business as usual. You’ll have good days and bad days. You have some victories and some defeats. You’ll be sick for a while and you’ll be healthy much of the time. Some of your prayers will be answered; some won’t be answered. Some of your dreams will come true; some will be dashed on the rocks of hard reality. Some of your plans will come to fruition; others will remain undone. You’ll discover that some of your friends will be there when you need them. Others will fail you when you need them most. In many respects, life will be the same next year because we all face the same ongoing challenges in our walk with the Lord. But know this: Your steps in the coming year are “ordered” by the Lord. He is in charge of the details of your life.
Follow me tomorrow for the continuation of this message as we transition into the new year.
THE MYSTICAL COURT 