The greeting card was perfect. On the front was a cartoon centipede in all his many-legged glory, looking at the Fitbit on his wrist and happily declaring, “Wow! I just got out of bed and I already have 10,000 steps!”
It wasn't her birthday, so I crossed out the "Happy Birthday" on the inside and wrote something else for my sister, who happens to be a cheerful Fitbit Over-Achiever. I think it was a Bible verse about keeping step with the Spirit or something, I can’t remember, but we had a good laugh about that card.
I found myself smiling again one Sunday, thinking about the card and my sister, after the choir at our church sang the song, “Order my Steps in Your Word,” a powerful song based on Psalm 119:133. In the King James version it reads:
Order my steps in thy word: And let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
I found this recording of the song and sang it loud in my car on the way home. Then I spent some time in Psalm 119.
Walk with Purpose to Keep Evil at Bay
Interestingly, there are several different translations for the word “order” in other versions of that verse: the NLT says “guide,” the NIV, “direct,” the ESV uses the phrase, “keep steady,” and the NASB says, “establish.”
Either way, we get the message that our steps are to have purpose. We see that in the KJV the purpose is to “let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” The NLT says, "so I will not be overcome by evil." NIV: "let no sin rule over me," ESV: "let no iniquity get dominion over me," and NASB: "do not let any wrongdoing have power over me."
It is clear that the steps we take each day, throughout our life, should direct us away from sin and evil, so that we will not be overcome by the sin that opposes God's good for us.
Walk by the Power of God's Word
Where do we find that direction? The Psalmist implores God to order his steps, so yes, we want the Lord to direct us. But how does He do so? By His word.
As I read through the entirety of Psalm 119, I felt as if I were eavesdropping on a lover singing a song of undying affection to his beloved; extolling the beauty, the blessing, the surety of an undeserved but faithful love. Except his beloved was the law of the Lord.
I did a fun exercise, then. I sat down with a pink highlighter and underlined all the different names used for Scripture throughout the whole Psalm. Here’s what I found (using the NLT version):
25 times it was referred to as instruction. 22 times it was called "Your law." 43 times they were called commands or commandments. "Decree" was used 22 times, "regulations" 20 times, "word" 27 times, and 12 times it was referred to as "Your promise."
Then I circled all the adjectives used to describe these titles: right/righteous, truth/truthful, good, age-old, just, valuable, fair, delightful, trustworthy, eternal, life-giving, limitless, sweet/sweeter than honey, awe-inspiring, wonderful, perfect, thoroughly tested, perfectly true, and always right.
Through the Psalm writer's eyes, I could see clearly that God's words were of great worth to him, a treasure to be savored.
Walk Worthy and Blessings will Abound
I saw, too, that besides being protected from sin as requested in verse 133, by meditating on God's word the Psalmist is filled with joy, unashamed, pure, rejoicing, and remembering. It is wise advice to him, it revives him; he is encouraged, privileged, and his understanding is expanded. In verse 35 he says, “this is where my happiness is found.” It gives him life, reassurance, hope, freedom, comfort, and it is the theme of his songs. It gives him good judgment, knowledge, and shows him that “my suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees” (v. 71). It sustains him, makes him wiser than his enemies, gives him a discerning mind, and is his constant guide. It is also his treasure and his heart’s delight; it gives him great peace. One of his last pleas (v.175) is that God will “let me live, so I can praise you.”
Wow.
Although I wear a Fitbit, too, I’m not always as diligent about getting my steps in each day. But I’m convinced now that my spiritual steps need to be top priority, and that God’s word provides everything I need to order, guide, direct, and establish them. From this Psalm alone I am given a beautiful picture of the benefits He has in store for me, by His grace, when I take His word seriously.
This is the longest Psalm in the Bible, a whopping 176 verses. But I encourage you to spend some time there, especially if picking up the Bible has felt like a burden, a sense of duty rather than pleasure, or just too difficult lately. Meditate on just a few verses at a time; remind yourself of the life-giving beauty of all God has to say. Circle words that are repeated (it will be different from mine if you are using a different translation!) or highlight all the benefits of obeying God’s word.
God's word helps us walk worthy, and it is a gift to us, a gift that continues to give as we order our steps according to it. And we don’t even need a Fitbit. 😉