When Falling isn’t Fatal
After a full day yesterday, today was more laid back. After a conference call and some errands, I did have workout with my trainer at the fitness center. We are coming to the end of the week and the Broncos playing in Super Bowl 50. We are looking forward to seeing the game on Sunday.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “A man’s steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, because the Lord holds his had…” Psalm 37:23,24 HCSB
Many years ago, this verse became one of my favorite in the Psalms. I like the wording of New Living Translation, “The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take. If they fall, it isn’t fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand.“ (Psa. 37:23,24 NLT)
The promise is not for “clear sailing and a trouble-free life.” What the Lord does say is, if we honor Him and trust in Him, He will guide our path and even then we may still fall, but our fall won’t be fatal.
In the early verses of Psalm 37, we see three important admonitions. “Trust in the Lord and do what is good…” (v. 3) “Take delight in the Lord…” (v. 4) “Commit your way to the Lord…” (v. 5) Our confidence in the Lord directing our steps comes from trusting God, delighting ourselves in the Lord and committing to Him our plans. The well-known verse of Proverbs 3:6 says, “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path.” When can have confidence that the Lord is directing our lives, and our decisions when we journey with Jesus.
No one likes to fall. As one who is “unsteady” on his feet, I have learned about being cautious with my walking. But falls become inevitable. When I left the hospital to come home after my initial months of illness, we practiced “fall recovery.” That is because in spite of all the prevention, we realized that a fall would come at some point.
The issue is when we “fall” in life, when we face roadblocks, we don’t have to be overwhelmed, those falls don’t need to be fatal. The confidence of this when we walk with the Lord, is that He is right there with us. Remember when Peter walked on water? He was fine until the waves and wind distracted him and he began to sink in the raging sea. But Jesus reached down and lifted Him up.
That is a good picture for us to remember. The Psalmist asserts with confidence, “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging for bread.” (Psalm 37:25 HCSB)
This verse became a significant part of my life twenty years ago, when I was leading our church through a relocation process. It was challenging and stretching my abilities and confidence. As I focused on the words of this verse, I realized my task was to seek the Lord, do my best to follow Him; to keep my heart right and to not fear a misstep or moment of “falling.”
In the end we saw some incredible provisions from the Lord at just the right time and we found Him faithful each step of the way. I continue to hold on to that assurance in my “journey with Jesus.” When He is with us we are never alone and never without the help when we need to get up from a fall.