An Ordered Life

Welcome to 2010! As we prepare ourselves for all the things we want to do and accomplish this year or the places we want to go, it's a good thing to consider how we're going to involve God in our lives. Here's a verse I've been thinking about the last couple of weeks. Perhaps it would be a good verse to take into the new year.
Psalms 37:23-24 (NKJV)

²³ The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. ²⁴ Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand.

How does God "order" our steps?

Steps are made firm (NRS); are established (NASB); have been prepared (YLT); are led (NLB). Or God makes...firm (NIV); directs (NLT); guides (TEV); makes...secure (NIrV); grants success (NET).

"Order": (noun) In proper succession or sequence ["listed in alphabetical order"]; methodical or harmonious arrangement ["give order to your life"]; proper, satisfactory, or working condition. (verb) To arrange in proper sequence; to put persons or things into their proper places in relation to each other. The verb also suggests straightening out so as to eliminate confusion ["ordered her business affairs"].

God doesn't "order" our steps in the sense of manipulating or coercing us. He doesn't force us to follow him. He doesn't drag us, kicking and screaming, down the road he chooses for us. Rather he simply offers us a better, more "orderly" way than our own way; he shows us a road that is more "ordered," more meaningful.

So how does God order our steps?

1. He brings order out of chaos. When events spin out of control; when life doesn't make sense; when your life becomes confused—you can ask God to restore order. When things get crazy, God can restore sanity by putting your steps in order. He brings order out of chaos.

You won't see it around here, but downtown during rush hour in a large city, you can get yourself caught in a real traffic jam. A while back I got caught in snarled traffic in Minneapolis just as an evening Vikings game ended and the fans emptied out of the stadium. The streets clogged with cars sitting like they were in a parking lot, bumper to bumper. You couldn't move at all. And the longer you sat there watching the red light turn green and then back to red again while you never moved, the more you could feel a growing sense of frustration. The traffic and the pedestrians were crazy.

Life can be like that. Crazy. Frustrating. Things don't always go the way you would have hoped. You can't always seem to get where you wanted to go or do what you wanted to do. Life can get chaotic at times. And that's when we need the Lord to step in and bring order to our steps. That's when we need to hear Jesus speak to the storm and say, "Peace, be still." That's when we need God to bring order out of the chaos in our lives.

v 23 (NKJV): The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way...

God orders our steps in another way as well...

2. He gives us direction. When you don't know which way to go or are uncertain about a decision; when you don't understand your options; when you stand at a crossroads—you can ask God to direct your steps.

• We need God to order our steps because, left on our own, we are "out of order."  We sin. We mess things up. We miss opportunities to do good. We ruin good things and tolerate bad things. We're attracted to the wrong—that which destroys—and we can cannot help ourselves. [We're like a moth drawn to the flame—enticed to our own destruction.]
  
• We undermine and destroy God's plan. He gives us something good, but we push the limits—we get out of order, out of bounds! Sinful nature always takes us the wrong direction.
  
• In fact, one of the words the Bible uses for sin is to "trespass." To trespass is to go where we aren't supposed to go, to cross the line. That's why we need God to put our steps in order, to redirect them in the way we should go.

Once you're on the right path, God will then further order your steps by mapping the way for you to go, directing you by showing the right way—bringing focus and clarity to your journey.

"Ordered" in the Hebrew is kun. The word is translated in various ways in the NASB, one being "aim" (in the sense of getting ready to shoot). You fit the notch on the string, pull back the bow, but you better not let go until you've aimed the arrow. Shooting without aiming is a sure recipe for disaster.

Like an arrow, we also need to be aimed. We need direction—not our personal aim, but God's direction. The same Hebrew word appears in Jer. 10:23: "I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps" (NIV). We can't order ourselves; we need the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit!

v 23 (NLT): The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives...

v 23 (TEV): The Lord guides us in the way we should go and protects those who please him.

3. He guards us on our journey. When you travel down a difficult path; when you are challenged by pressures, demands, and dangers on the road; when pitfalls and potholes threaten to trip you up—you can count on God to keep you from falling flat. His strength will hold you up when you stumble. By guiding your steps, God protects you from crashing.

As a parent, you watch over your toddlers as they learn to walk. Often, you'll hold their hand to help steady them or maintain their balance. They might trip or stumble. They might forget to put one foot in front of the other. They might teeter or totter from one side to the other. But as long as you've got a good hold on their hand, they're not going to fall flat. They're not going to hurt themselves, because you're holding them up.

That is exactly what the Lord does for us! You may struggle with a difficult, challenging trail. You may be tired and worn out. You may have lost your balance. You may have stumbled over some problem or been tripped up by some mistake or sin. But as long as the Lord holds your hand, you'll be able to make it. As long as you hold on to him, you won't have to fall flat on your face.

When I was in second grade, my younger brother was in Kindergarten. We would walk home together—about eight blocks in north Minneapolis. Along the way was a very big hill. One day we held hands and ran down the hill as fast as we could go. We were really moving! The wind was blowing through our neat little crew cuts...or at least the wind was whistling in our ears. We felt like we were flying. About half way down the hill, moving at top speed, I remember feeling that I was losing control. I felt like I needed both arms free to keep my balance and keep from falling. So I let go of my little brother's hand. And when I did that, he did lose control. He lost his balance and pitched forward, his body moving faster than his legs could keep up with. And he landed right on his face...on the sidewalk. Knocked out two front teeth—fortunately, his baby teeth. And why did he fall? Because the one he was depending on to keep him up let go of his hand.

If you depend on the Lord, you can be sure: he will never let go of your hand.

v 24 (NLT): Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand.

The broader meaning of this verse is captured in another translation:

v 24 (GW): When he falls, he will not be thrown down headfirst because the LORD holds on to his hand.

If you go hiking, you know that some trails are more challenging than others. Walking on the pavement of Munger Trail, which is smooth and level, is much easier than hiking through some of the hilly paths in Jay Cooke, where tree roots and rocky outcroppings threaten to catch your foot or twist your ankle.

Prov 4:26-27 ²⁶ Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. ²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

In this new year, God wants to hold you up. He wants to guard your steps. He wants to direct you and lead you in the right way. He wants to reduce the chaos and put your life in order. And that leads us to the final way in which God orders our steps:

4. He gives us purpose. When you feel small and insignificant; when you feel like you're at a "dead end"; when you feel like your life has no meaning ("Why am I here?")—remember that God has a plan for your life. You are not insignificant! You were designed by God for a reason!

Sometimes the Hebrew word for "ordered" is translated into English as "fashioned" or "formed." Just as a potter fashions the clay, or a dress designer creates a new fashion, or a builder puts down forms before pouring the concrete, the Lord determines the form or design he wants to make of our lives. He fashions us according to his purpose and plan.

He establishes our steps (NASB)—he gives us a solid place to walk, a firm foundation to build our lives upon.

NET: The Lord grants success to the one whose behavior he finds commendable.

God wants you to succeed at life. He wants you to fulfill your destiny—the purpose for which he made you! You are important to him!

Never forget! You're here for a reason—God calls you to a "high calling."

What is a "calling"? It's simply an invitation. God extends an invitation—he calls us to come. He invites you to join him in his eternal plan. He "ordains" an eternal order and purpose for you.

• This year, you'll receive invitations—to weddings, grad parties, retirement parties, Christmas parties, Tupperware parties. You'll be invited to sign up for a new credit card or to get new auto insurance.
• Of all the invitations you'll receive, none is like the one that God gives! He invites you to become to leave the old life behind and step into a new life. To be free from sin and free to live. To become the person he designed you to be. To do the things he intended for you to do.
  
• Because of God's calling and purpose, we can make a difference in this life! But only if we allow God first to make a difference in us. We need his grace, his acceptance, his forgiveness so we we can become his person.
  

Many people achieve things that do not last. They write books that end up sitting on shelves gathering dust or, worse, buried in landfills. They erect buildings that crumble or are torn down. They win championships or set athletic records, which eventually become obscure trivia buried in obscure lists. They win wars that fade from memory and establish governments that disappear, replaced by others.
When people try to "order" their own steps, what they accomplish will not last. But when you discover your God-given, eternal purpose, you'll find significance and meaning for your life. This is what happens when God orders your steps!

Only an eternal purpose given by God can bring significance and meaning to our lives. And this happens when God orders our steps!

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At the beginning of a new year, it's a good time for us to give God the chance to order our steps!

• Renew our determination to follow the Lord—to take the narrow way, though the wide way may be more popular.
• Reaffirm our loyalty to him—to be faithful to him, though other voices try to distract us.
• Recommit our hearts to Jesus—to give him our all, though the world wants a piece of us.
• Rededicate our lives to his cause—to serve him, to seek his kingdom first, to fulfill his purpose.