the steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand. [psalm 37:23–24]
i’m pretty pro apple products in my life. i have a macbook, iphone, apple watch. i like the products they make. the way they work seamlessly, the design, the apps, all of it. i use all the default apps on my phone and computer – apple mail, calendars, pages…all of it. you can try to tell me that android or pc or microsoft products are better. but no matter how much you try to convince me, you’ll still be wrong.
but, there is one apple product that is not my default. apple maps.
ugh. it’s getting better. but, google maps is far superior. particularly, it’s better at giving you directions, which is really kind of a crucial function for a maps app on your phone. i would much rather get my directions from google maps than apple. i trust them more. i know they’re going to take me where i want to go, in the least amount of time, with no backtracking. who knows where you’ll end up if you follow apple maps directions? (anyone seen that episode of the office where michael drives the car into the lake…?)
you didn’t come here for my software tech reviews.
but, i promise there’s a point here. i don’t want my directions to be established by anyone except google maps. and, i don’t want my steps in life to be established by anyone except the Lord. at least, i know that to be true in my mind. but in reality, i wrestle with that all the time. there are countless times in my life where i have taking steps established by my selfishness, or by outside voices of peer pressure, or out of fear.
when we delight in the way of the Lord, we won’t want our steps to be established by anyone or anything else. compare the way of the Lord to anything else and i promise you the way of the Lord is better. it might not be easier, or smoother, but it is better, because it leads to him and his glory. but if the Lord is not worth more than everything else, we will follow steps that lead us away from him rather than towards him.
so today, i would encourage you to spend time delighting in the Lord and his ways. write out your prayers to the Lord thanking and praising him for who he is and the ways he has lead you and cared for you. repent of steps you have taken in other directions, that were established by other things. be reminded of his goodness, his faithfulness, and his beauty. as you sit in his presence and praise him, he will draw near to you. and, you will grow in your delight of him and his ways.
~ keith kozlowski