Psalm 119:129-136 Authorized (King James) Version
פ Pe
129 Thy testimonies are wonderful:
therefore doth my soul keep them.
130 The entrance of thy words giveth light;
it giveth understanding unto the simple.
131 I opened my mouth, and panted:
for I longed for thy commandments.
132 Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me,
as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.
133 Order my steps in thy word:
and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Deliver me from the oppression of man:
so will I keep thy precepts.
135 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant;
and teach me thy statutes.
136 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes,
because they keep not thy law.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen, Amen.
What are we truly asking for when we ask God, “Order my steps”?
The King James Version of Psalm 119:133 reads, “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.”
Other translations use different phrasing, such as “establish my footsteps” (NASB), “direct my footsteps,” (NIV) or “keep steady my footsteps” (ESV).
The Message reading of this passage is as thus;
129-136 Every word you give me is a miracle word—
how could I help but obey?
Break open your words, let the light shine out,
let ordinary people see the meaning.
Mouth open and panting,
I wanted your commands more than anything.
Turn my way, look kindly on me,
as you always do to those who personally love you.
Steady my steps with your Word of promise
so nothing malign gets the better of me.
Rescue me from the grip of bad men and women
so I can live life your way.
Smile on me, your servant;
teach me the right way to live.
I cry rivers of tears
because nobody’s living by your book!
The Complete Jewish Bible reads the verse this way: 133 Guide my footsteps by your word;
don’t let any kind of sin rule me.
Although the translations of the Bible vary, they all portray the psalmist’s desire to live according to God’s loving wisdom through His Word, not ours..
While the exact phrase “order my steps” may only appear in one translation of a single verse, the theme of God alone directing His people in the way they should go runs throughout Scripture and is an integral part of what it genuinely means to be a disciple of Christ—the greatest calling of all believers.
What Does it Mean For God to Order Our Steps?
When we repent and turn to Christ, we acknowledge that we have been wrong.
We have lived our lives in such a way that does not honor our created design—a way that does not come close to honoring, glorifying and worshiping God.
Doing so, we have greatly oppressed, suppressed, wounded ourselves and one too many others -to the point we have lost all sight of what is good and true.
Repentance is a turning from that oppressive and suppressive way of life and a turning to Savior Christ, who is “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
It is a process of unseating dethroning one’s own will, reinstating God’s will.
Thus, Romans 10:9 says that those who believe God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and give their heartfelt confession with their mouth Jesus as Lord will be saved.
Being a baptized Christian is not simply a matter of acknowledging that God is real but an echelons beyond serious matter of actually choosing to follow Him.
In following Christ, we are asking Him to order our steps, to guide us as we attempt to live like Christ in a world that pulls us in every other direction.
Verse 105 in Psalm 119 paints for us a clear picture of what it looks like for God to order our steps: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,” it reads.
The psalmist uses both darkness or blindness to describe those who do not acknowledge God in their ways (Proverbs 4:19, Romans 1:20-21).
Proverbs 4:19 Complete Jewish Bible
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness;
they don’t even know what makes them stumble.
Romans 1:20-21 Complete Jewish Bible
20 For ever since the creation of the universe his invisible qualities — both his eternal power and his divine nature — have been clearly seen, because they can be understood from what he has made. Therefore, they have no excuse; 21 because, although they know who God is, they do not glorify him as God or thank him. On the contrary, they have become futile in their thinking; and their undiscerning hearts have become darkened.
In a world continually shaped by darkness, God’s word acts as an illuminating force, showing us the ONE right way, ordering our steps according to wisdom.
What Does the Psalmist Say Will ‘Order My Steps’?
The writer of Psalm 119 asks that God order His steps according to His word.
This psalm is exceptional because it is the longest single chapter in the Bible—coming in at 176 verses.
God’s word is referenced throughout the psalm, using various terms: His law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, judgments, words, and His ordinances.
The psalmist confirms all of them point to the character of the One who gave them.
The psalmist desperately wants the very heart of God to guide His steps, as it is being revealed through His continually living and continuously active word.
As believers under the new covenant, we have the glorious benefit of knowing Christ, whom John refers to as “the Word” in the opening line of his gospel.
John 1:1-5 Complete Jewish Bible
1 In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing made had being.
4 In him was life,
and the life was the light of mankind.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not suppressed it.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
The term that John used for “Word” is Logos.
In Greek philosophy, this term referred to divine reason or the natural law of the cosmos.
According to the Stoics, aligning your life with the Logos was to live well.
When John takes this term and applies it to Jesus, he uses a term familiar to both Jewish and Gentile audiences to show that the world was created and is sustained not merely by a mediating principle but through a personal God.
Only in Jesus, through Whom the world was made (John 1:3), can we know truth and make sense of the world.
The Logos, a set of principles, was the Stoics’ guiding force.
For a Jew (like the Psalmist), the word of God, as revealed in their recorded history, in the 614 laws that God gave to Moses, and the commandments that God gave directly to His people, revealed the Lord’s heart.
He was their guide.
For a new covenant believer, our guide is the Word: Jesus Christ, the fullest revelation of God the Father’s heart, will, and intentions (Hebrews 1:1-4).
God’s Final Word in His Son
1 God, having spoken to the fathers long ago in [the voices and writings of] the prophets in many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the truth], and in many ways, 2 has in these last days spoken [with finality] to us in [the person of One who is by His character and nature] His Son [namely Jesus], whom He appointed heir and lawful owner of all things, through whom also He created the universe [that is, the universe as a space-time-matter continuum]. 3 The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of [our awesome] God [reflecting God’s [a]Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father’s] essence, and upholding and maintaining and propelling all things [the entire physical and spiritual universe] by His powerful word [carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal]. When He [Himself and no other] had [by offering Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for sin] accomplished purification from sins and established our freedom from guilt, He sat down [revealing His completed work] at the right hand of the Majesty on high [revealing His Divine authority], 4 having become as much superior to angels, since He has inherited a more excellent and glorious [b]name than they [that is, Son—the name above all names].
To know Him better—and know God the Father and the Holy Spirit better—we must read, study and know the Word of God as its revealed through Scripture.
What Happens When We Let the Bible Order Our Steps?
Psalm 1:1-3 Amplified Bible
Book One
The Righteous and the Wicked Contrasted.
1 [a]Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [following their advice and example],
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit [down to rest] in the seat of [b]scoffers (ridiculers).
2
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night.
3
And he will be like a tree firmly planted [and fed] by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season;
Its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers [and comes to maturity].
Psalm 1:1-3 shows the advantage of living according to God’s law.
The one who does so aligns with the truth.
They will experience the inherent benefit built into the system.
The book of Proverbs echoes this sentiment in its repetitive contrast of wisdom with foolishness.
“He who trusts in His own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered” (Proverbs 28:26).
Someone who has allowed God to order their steps is walking wisely and will be delivered.
Fools will follow their own path and unavoidably stumble into the snare they set for themselves.
Apart from God’s wisdom, we are fools trusting in our own hearts, walking according to our own understanding—believing lies, living as if they were true.
Inevitably, this will lead to ruin.
But suppose we allow the Bible to order our steps?
If so, we live according to the wisdom by which God established the earth (Proverbs 3:19).
19
The Lord by His wisdom has founded the earth;
By His understanding He has established the heavens.
We find the necessary conditions for experiencing the benefit of aligning ourselves with the truth.
Yes, we still live in a fallen world.
Even if wisdom is applied to its fullest, bad things still happen.
The prosperity gospel falls flat on its face.
Karma loses its livelihood.
Stoicism falls short.
While the Stoics would agree with Christians that the best way to live was to align oneself with natural law, they had little to offer when nature seemed to crumble in on itself.
As Jesus Himself can testify, allowing God’s word to order one’s steps will not exempt one from suffering.
What then?
Christians have an even greater hope than a life untouched by harm.
As we allow the Word of God to guide and teach us, we grow in conformity with Christ and our understanding of His heart.
As we “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,” we “increase in our knowledge of God” (Colossians. 1:10).
As we trust Him and find that He is true to His word, our faith more precious than gold (1 Peter 1:7), is strengthened and established.
As we see the goodness in His wisdom, our understanding of His heart expands.
As we experience His willingness to be our strength when His commandments feel too burdensome, we know Him as our “very present help” (Psalm 46:1).
Our obedience becomes how we come to know Christ Himself.
That is true joy and freedom.
That is life eternal (John 17:3).
Steadfastly following our God’s commandments safeguards us from our utter foolishness’s consequences, creating the space for greater intimacy with our Lord and Savior.
How Can We Start Letting God’s Word Order Our Steps Today?
For God’s Word to guide us, we must know His voice.
The best way to become familiar with how He speaks is to read His Word.
To really know God’s voice and become transformed by it, we need to spend daily time in the Bible.
After all, “man shall not live on bread alone, but man shall live on everything that comes out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy. 8:3).
Just as we cannot live and function without physical sustenance, we cannot thrive without the word of God.
No matter how good it tastes, starving all week before having a feast does not make a healthy body.
No matter how enriching, a Sunday service cannot replace a personal, daily interaction with God through His Word.
Like any relationship, you cannot truly know someone without spending time with them.
Through diligence and discipline, only when His revelation of Himself shapes your image of God and your understanding of how He speaks through Scripture can you really know that you are obeying His voice?
Only then can He truly “order your steps.”
If you want to start incorporating a daily Bible study into your life but don’t know the first steps, begin with a Bible reading plan.
Choose a time of the day when you can consistently spend time reading the Bible.
Bring other people into your journey.
Find a mentor or friend with whom you can share your intention and then ask them to hold you accountable.
Doing so will give you another person to process what you have been learning with.
We aren’t meant to live our Christ life alone!
We were made to grow in relationships.
The Holy Spirit will teach and convict you as you spend more time in Scripture.
God’s Word will reveal areas of your life that need to be surrendered to and transformed by Him.
This is a good thing, “for the Lord disciplines those whom He loves” (Hebrews. 12:6).
It is an opportunity to intentionally, instinctively choose faith in Christ as you allow Him, and Him alone, to order your steps.
If what He calls you to do feels too a might bit burdensome, remember Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1:18-21:
Ephesians 1:18-21 Amplified Bible
18 And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the [a]hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the [b]saints (God’s people), 19 and [so that you will begin to know] what the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His [active, spiritual] power is in us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength 20 which He [c]produced in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come.
The power that raised Christ from the dead is available to you.
Christianity is not a ‘pick yourself up by the bootstraps’ religion but God calling you to walk humbly in freedom by His grace.
Sometimes, though His guidance will be less clear when big decisions arrive, and the route will appear foggy.
Here, relationship, prayer, and surrender will become vital.
Are all areas of your life surrendered to Christ?
We can only expect to be led by Him in the big things if we listen to Him in the little.
If you have chosen deafness in an area where He has been speaking, address that first.
Then, as you come to Him with “clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:4), you can trust that He will guide you in all wisdom (James 1:5).
God’s word is a light to our dark path in a morally uncertain world.
It must be our standard for right and wrong, righteousness and evil.
As God’s will and Word have sway in our life, we are delivered from all sorts of destructive practices that can ruin our lives.
As God’s will and Word have sway in our lives, we are enlightened to the truth of the Cross – that God so loved the world He sent His only Son to save us from sin.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Great and Almighty God, Creator of all things, Author of all life, who raised His Son, who raises the dead and restores the fallen, make my heart delight in your truth and my life more perfectly conformed to your will. Lead me in your way and guide my footsteps in righteousness. Empower me to freedom from any form of bondage that Satan might use to control me and ruin my godly influence. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and Renew a right spirit within me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen, Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 