The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. (Psalm 37:23, N.K.J.V.)

The Hebrew word translated as “ordered” in this verse is kun, and it’s a word that primarily means “to be established, readied, or prepared.” In Judges 16:26, it is used to describe the supports that held up the pillars upon which a Philistine building stood. In Psalm 93:1, it refers to how God has firmly established the world. In Genesis 41:32, it is used to emphasis the fact that the dream Pharaoh had on two separate occasions had been established by God and was therefore surely going to come to pass. As kun is used in the context of Psalm 37:23, it means that God will make rock solid the steps of the person who truly walks with Him. In other words, the person who walks with God never walks on shaky ground!

Of course, walking with God requires the individual to walk in God’s will. In terms of God’s will for any person’s life, He has a general will (love God, love others, keep God’s commandments, etc.) and a specific will (where to live, where to work, where to attend church, etc.). Don’t hold to the wrong assumption that God is just sitting up in heaven, kind of half paying attention to your decision-making. Much to the contrary, He has a will regarding ALL of your decisions, even those that you consider inconsequential. As our text verse says, He wants to order and establish your steps and, consequently, delight in your way.

I once heard a comedian build a comedy routine around the advantages of driving a run-down car. He said, “When you drive an old car, you don’t care if it gets hit. That’s why, when I’m trying to get on the interstate, I just pull straight out into traffic. Let ’em sort it out behind me.” I cracked up at that joke, but it’s not so funny when you operate like that in real life. When you go ahead and pull out into traffic and expect God to sort things out behind you, you live life backwards. Rather than letting Him order and establish your steps, you charge off down your own path and leave yourself wide open for all kinds of unpleasant results.

So, starting right now, you should dedicate yourself completely to seeking God’s will and doing it regarding each and every decision. That includes where you live, where you work, where you attend church, what clothes you buy, where you go on vacation, etc., etc., etc. Don’t be guilty of just pulling out into traffic regarding any decision. And never forget that God wants to lead you by walking ahead of you, ordering your steps, and making sure that you are always walking on solid ground, not by following up behind you and coming to your rescue every time you’ve stepped into a gopher hole, a ditch, a crevice, or even a pit.