Making Firm Our Steps (Psalm 37:23-26)

²³ The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
²⁴ though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

²⁵ I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
²⁶ They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be a blessing.

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In meditating on these few verses this morning the image of Peter walking on the water came to mind (Matthew 14:22-33).  Jesus invites Peter to come to him on the water, and Peter sets out immediately to do that.  Peter is in fact walking on the water until the wind and waves frighten him and he begins to fall, crying out the Lord to save him.  And of course the Lord does so, taking his hand.

The Lord had made firm Peter’s steps, and even though Peter stumbled, the Lord upheld him with His hand.  This account in the Gospels almost seems a ready-made illustration of these verses of Psalm 37.

So why did Peter stumble? The text mentions that he saw the wind.  Sometimes it’s suggested that he took his eyes off of Jesus or started to doubt Jesus.  But that doesn’t really seem the case, because when he began to sink, to whom did he call?  He called on Jesus to save him.

Peter never doubted Jesus.  He doubted himself.  He doubted what he could do by the grace of God.  He doubted the steps that he could take when the Lord makes those steps firm.

I see this as an encouragement to be bold and step out of the boat, trusting that the Lord does indeed make our steps firm.  And that even should we stumble, there need be no fear, for the Lord’s hand is right there with us.

So how is the Lord calling me on the water today?  What is He calling me to do?  How am I to be a representative of the Kingdom in my actions and my conversations?  Wherever He is calling me, He is also making firm the steps of the path that He would have me walk.

So this is my prayer:  Faith in Jesus, yes.  But also faith in His work in me and in my life that enables me to follow Him boldly.

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