STEADY AS SHE GOES
Psalm 37:30-31 NKJV
30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall slide.
The last part of verse 31 says, "None of his steps will slide." Obviously, we are not talking physical steps, but rather our walk, our life. The word slide can also be rendered slip. So, there are some things we can do that can keep us from slipping up in our walk with the Lord.
"The law of God is in his heart." I believe this is the key to this entire passage. And key to not slipping in our walk. The Psalmist said that he hid God's Word in his heart so that he might not sin against God (Psalm 119:11). Not sinning against God is a function of having His words living in us. Paul wrote the church in Colosse and encouraged them to let the word of Christ dwell in them richly (Colossians 3:16). When we are reading, memorizing, and meditating on God's Word, we are doing more than checking a box. We are stabilizing our walk.
The reason the word of God in the heart is key to this steady walk with the Lord is due to how it impacts our mouth. The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom and talks of justice. The wisdom being referred to here is not the wisdom of the world. This is spiritual wisdom not scientific theory. Spiritual wisdom comes from God, His word, and His Spirit. God's wisdom and word will always be connected. God's wisdom will never disagree with His word. They are always aligned. Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth will speak. Sooner or later, what is in us will come out of us. If we are intentionally putting God's Word in our hearts, we stand a much better chance of His wisdom coming out of our mouths.
So God's Word is in the heart, and God's wisdom is in the mouth. Here we are again with that heart-mouth connection. And there needs to be that connection in our life. Jesus also said a good man, out of the good treasure or deposit in his heart, will bring forth good things. Jesus always spoke words of wisdom that were aligned with God's Word. And, of course, none of Jesus' steps ever slipped.
APPLICATION
We can't allow ourselves to look past the simplicity of these two verses. If we did an audit of the words we speak, how much of God's wisdom and justice are present? Justice meaning those things that are good and right in God's sight. What percentage of our words are filled with God's wisdom and God's right ways? Don't let that question bother you. Make the adjustment and take a closer look at what you are saying.
If you find you keep slipping in certain areas of your walk with the Lord, what are your words? And even more importantly, what does God's Word say about your situation? Hide that word in your heart and speak His wisdom and ways out of your mouth. And enjoy growing in a steady, consistently strong walk.
PRAYER
Lord, help me hide Your words in my heart, especially in the areas that cause me to slip and fall. And alert me when what comes out of my mouth is not helping me or anyone else.