By The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread (Psalm 37:23-25).
“I have been young, and now am old.” If we live long enough, we will all be able to repeat King David’s words. In these verses, King David is looking back over his life. The older we get, the more we can reflect on our lives and the more we can see the hand of God throughout the years. Let us see what David was seeing.
First of all, our steps are ordered by the Lord. He knows what we do not know. He walks with us and even walks before us along life’s way. We do not know what the future holds, but He does. We can be grateful that He gets there ahead of us.
Secondly, He always supports us. When we fall, God never pushes us down like some people tend to do. He reaches down to help us up and then encourages us to keep going. As the Psalmist wrote, “But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” We can keep our heads up because we know he is on our side.
Thirdly, He is always near. God’s people are never forsaken — even when trouble comes. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”(Psalm 46:1).
Finally, He sustains us. Notice King David’s reference to His seed not begging for bread. Food sustains us physically. The Lord sustains us spiritually. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst”(John 6:35).
Knowing these things, let us walk with the Lord every day of our lives. Then we will see His hand helping us throughout the years.
Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.
Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter — Breanna.
Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.
by leaps and bounds 