“Establish my footsteps in Your word, and do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.” – Psalm 119:133 NASB

This verse has become my prayer this week as I read through Psalm 119 every night. Without a doubt, Psalm 119 contains one of the chiefly profound principles in all of Scripture. Each time I read it, I am convicted by the Holy Spirit to live according to His Word – which He has so graciously and lovingly given us.

Last week, Zane bid us (NorthBrook) to read through Psalm 119 each day; and each day as I read it, this particular verse (133) causes my spirit to stop and pray this over my life and over the lives of those near and dear to me. Here are just a couple comments about this verse

1)   He (the Psalmist) appeals to God to “establish” his footsteps. So often we are tempted to believe that we have the power to sanctify ourselves. The truth is, God is the one who does the making and the saving (Eph 2:1-10), and holds it all together – so it is right for us to appeal to Him to establish our footsteps. Anything less appeals to our arrogance and results in failure and frustration as we fall spiritually time and time again. When God establishes our footsteps, we can be sure that they will be firmly planted and the results will be eternal, not temporal. In fact, the word translated “establish” in this verse literally means “to be firm,” or “be stable.”

2)   He (the Psalmist) appeals to God to be the sole governor of his heart. The verse appeals to God’s sovereignty, which ultimately results in His own glory. It vilifies the “chains” of sin and speaks about true freedom. It implies this syllogism: “If God establishes your footsteps, then God is the ruler of your heart. Conversely: “If you establish your footsteps, then you have been promoted to the position of Lord in your own life.”

Are you appealing to God’s sovereignty in your life? Are you asking God to establish your footsteps according to His Word, or are you struggling to blaze your own trail? The truth is, you’ll never know until you begin to meditate on His word.

Advertisement