The Steps of a Good Man

Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, was once asked the question, "When you were doing your experiments on the telegraph, did you ever come to a place where you did not know what to do next?" "Oh, yes, more than once," replied Mr. Morse. "At such times, what did you do?" they further inquired. The inventor answered, "That is a matter of which the public knows nothing. When I could not see my way clearly, I prayed for more light."

We are told in Psalm 37:23, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way." "Steps" mean "his course of life; the way in which he goes." There is nothing in the Hebrew for "good," so the original reads, "The steps of a man." The word for "man" is geber, meaning, "a strong man, a conqueror." The idea is that even the most powerful man must be guided and supported by the Lord. When this is the case, "He delights in his way." God is pleased with him, and he lives under the blessings, care, and favor of God.

In Luke 14:15, Christ said, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." He used a word to denote the happy estate of those who trust God. The word here translated "blessed" is from two Greek words meaning "not," and "fate," and "death." The intimation is that such persons are not subject to the caprices of fate or death. Adam Clarke said, "From this definition, we may learn that the person whom Christ terms happy is the one who is not under the influence of fate or chance, but is governed by an all-wise Providence, having every step directed to the attainment of immortal glory." This is the thought of the Psalmist in 48:14, "He will be our guide even to death" or "forever." Remember, "Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous."

A native of the Congo prayed this way, "Dear Lord, you be the needle and I will be the thread. You go first, and I will follow wherever you may lead!"

"But He made His own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock" (Psalm 78:52).

Dave Arnold, Pastor
Gulf Coast Worship Center
New Port Richey, Florida, 34654