‘He Delights In His Way’

‘He Delights In His Way’

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.

Psalm 37:23

We are pleased, as parents, with the progress and development of our children.  God is pleased with our progress and development as well.  Our text for today alludes to that pleasure. It declares, ‘He delights in his way.’  Picture the scene where a toddler is learning to walk.  As the child begins there is much standing and wobbling.  Very tentatively, at first there are a few steps.  As the child labors to put one foot in front of the other, the father positions himself as the desired destination.  We could say that the child is ‘choosing’ the path, but the father has set the destination.  All the while, the father speaks words of encouragement to the child.  We hear ‘Good boy!’ or ‘Good girl!’  ‘That’s it! Come on!’  The father is delighted with the child’s progress.  So God takes delight in the ‘steps of a good man’ which He has ordered.  God is conforming us to the image of Christ.  As He does, we come slowly to understand that He has determined both the path and the destination.  All the while, as He brings us along in the steps which He has ordered, He takes delight in our progress.  He shows us Christ, gives us Christ as an example and enables us to see that Christ is the Prize.  He is the perfect Father Who takes pleasure in the progress of His people, whom He has made ‘good’ by free and sovereign grace.

Our Good and Kind God,
we rejoice that You are our desired destination.
We praise You that You encourage us 
every step of our pilgrim pathway,
until we see You Face-to-face.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning