Order My Steps

Order My Steps- Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

Order my steps in Your word dear Lord,

lead me, guide me everyday,

send Your anointing, Father I pray;

order my steps in Your word,

please, order my steps in Your word.

Humbly, I ask Thee to teach me Your will,

while You are working, help me be still,

Satan is busy, God is real;

order my steps in Your word,

please, order my steps in Your word.

Bridle my tongue let my words edify,

let the words of my mouth be exceptable in Thy sight,

take charge of my thoughts both day and night;

order my steps in Your word,

please order my steps in Your word.

I want to walk worthy,

my calling to fulfill.

Please order my steps Lord,

and I'll do Your blessed will.

The world is ever changing,

but You are still the same;

if You order my steps, I'll praise Your name.

Many people these days have learned to make use of navigational systems like GPS, smartphones, and other devices.  It is one of the easiest ways to find your way around new territory, go hiking, take a road trip, and learn more about your current location.  Before these navigation systems we had to refer to maps and charts.  Are you old enough to remember Mom or Dad unfolding a gigantic state map, trying to find a destination or intersection, and trying to re-fold the map….while driving?  Ahh, the “good old days”!

Spiritually speaking, our world has always been a difficult place to navigate.  Some would say it is more challenging today than it has ever been before.  So, how can we navigate the greater and lesser paths that life presents to us?  How do we pursue excellence and avoid self-destructive behaviors?  How can we live in a way that is pleasing to the God that created us?  

Consider the words of Psalm 119:133, “Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.”  Another way of saying this would be, “Order my steps according to your word, and do not let me become overwhelmed in sin”.  In this Psalm, the writer is making an important request of God, one that will affect the rest of his life and direction.

First, the psalmist must assume a position of humility.  It takes humility to ask for direction, and a greater dose of humility to then follow those directions.  Secondly, the psalmist is asking to be given a firm path to walk upon.  All other ground is shifting and unstable.  He requests that his path be built upon the word of God.  Elsewhere in scripture, the Bible says, “The grass withers and the flowers may fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8).   This request resonates with the glorious declaration of the hymn writer who said, “On Christ the solid rock I stand.  All other ground is sinking sand.”  In our day, we need a solid path of proven principle and Godly wisdom to inform our decisions, teach us right from wrong, and show us the right way to go.

Seeking God’s guidance is not only a wise thing to do, it is necessary.  God’s perspective on the past present and future, on right and wrong, on daily life, is just like the perspective of the satellite we access with our navigational devices.  We use a GPS or smartphone to look at a map and get step by step directions toward our destination.  When we take a wrong turn, the system “re-calculates” and tells us how to get back on track.  When there is construction or heavy traffic ahead, our navigation systems warn us of trouble ahead.  God’s word speaks to us from the perspective of eternity, and it tells us of the dangers and joys on the road ahead of us.  It teaches us what God thinks about our every-day questions.  It shows us the way to go.

Our biggest challenge to applying this truth is humility.  In a culture that is built on the sovereignty of the individual, it takes a great deal of humility to submit to God’s word and say ‘God’s way is right, and I must follow Him’.  In a song by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir called “Order My Steps”, the writer cries out to God, "Humbly, I ask Thee to teach me Your will, while You are working, help me be still…”  What a tremendous challenge, to be still while God works His perfect will.  

Finally, the purpose the psalmist expresses for seeking after Godly guidance and wisdom is that he would not be overtaken by sin.  There is no kingdom darker and more pervasive than the destruction and devastation that comes from sin overwhelming your life.  You can be free from bondage to sin through Jesus Christ when you turn to Him in faith for forgiveness and a new start.  

Can I just encourage you today to ask yourself where you get your life-direction from?  Instead of wandering around blind in a morally and ethically questionable world, ask God, the Creator of life itself, ‘what is the way to go’.  Read His word, seek Him.  He will not disappoint.