With the rush of the holidays, I’m all for shortcuts. I don’t make stuffing from scratch, stovetop is just fine. Starting things from scratch when I’m feeding 16 people at Thanksgiving dinner isn’t happening. Did I mention that most of those 16 hungry people are firefighters who keep going into the kitchen trying to sneak bits and pieces of Thanksgiving dinner? I need all the shortcuts I can get on turkey day?
Unfortunately, when it comes to a relationship with God, shortcuts only equal dead ends. We can’t speed up God’s timing for our growth. God has a unique path for us to walk, but he will not let us fall, but we may stumble.
In Psalm 37:23-24 (NIV) it says, “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.” Let’s unpack this verse a little. Here are three points that I’ve taken away from this verse.
- Delighting in God: We want the Lord to delight in our ways so we are able to stand firm. What does this mean exactly? How can we delight the Lord? Through an attitude of gratitude. This may sound simple, but on some days it’s hard to be grateful for the things God has placed along our journey. He has allowed trials into our lives to make us grow and draw closer to Him. Dare, I say it, to grow our heart of gratitude? It’s in those events which look like complete disasters when God offers His greatest blessing. It could be a chance to start over, to begin a new chapter in the book God has written for us. Are you grateful for the story God has for you? If not start by thanking God for the little things you know come from Him and build on it.
- Mistakes Happen: The verse states, though we stumble, God will not let us fall. It’s not if or maybe, it’s when we stumble. If we try taking shortcuts from the path God wants us to walk, we are no longer delighting Him. We won’t just stumble, we will be out of the will of God. There is purpose to the pain. Unfortunately, we might not know what it is until we see God face to face. The point is, God knows we will make mistakes. There are no surprises to God. So when we stumble, we can rest assured that God will not let us fall if we are delighting Him.
- Holding On: The verse goes on to say, “…for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” God will uphold us. What exactly does this mean? According to Merriam-Webster it means, “to give support, to give support against an opponent, to keep elevated, or to lift up.” God provides us the ability to hold on. He will provide us support and support against our opponents. He will never let us fall if we delight ourselves in Him. There is nothing He will let come to us without a purpose. God has a mighty plan for our lives and He will bring it to fruition if we don’t take shortcuts which only lead to dead ends. We delight ourselves in Him so He can show us our true path.
How do you feel the delight of God? Share in the comments below to encourage others.