“MY STEPS HAVE HELD FAST” Thoughts from today’s Bible readings – Jan 7th 2016
We continue to be inspired by the faith and commitment of David. His 17th Psalm today, which is clearly a heart-felt prayer, begins with the plea. “Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry! Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!” Can we use his words as our own prayer? Would his words be true of our attitude of mind?
His prayer continues, “You have tried my heart … you have tested me …”
[v.3]
David declares to God, “you will find nothing” for he has ” lips free of deceit.”
Can we personally sense situations in which he has tested us? Can we declare, as David did, “My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.”
[v.5]
God’s paths are set out for us in his word, we have just read the teachings of His Son – “on the mount” to his disciples. We are also reading of the faith of Abraham – shining as a light in a dark place, noting how his choices in life were better than his nephew Lot – and we read today in Genesis ch. 14 – and how he had to rescue him.
David pleads, in today’s Psalm, ” keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked …”
[v.8,9]
How inspiring – for our own faith, if we can take David’s words fully to heart – especially his concluding words in this Psalm. “Deliver my soul from the wicked … from men of the world whose portion is in this life… I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.”
How long now before David awakes, together with all those who have developed genuine convictions of belief as a sure foundation to lives that show their faith – so that they – with David – will behold God’s “face in righteousness” because they can say, with David, ” My steps have held fast to your paths”
David, and all those God counts faithful who are asleep in the graves, have, in a sense, moved into God’s time! When we come to Psalm 90 we will see how David declares, “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past”
[v.4]
With this foundation of belief and resultant faith which we show (to God) in our lives each day, may we all say, “My steps have held fast to your paths” David Caudery
