Psalm 119:133 Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me.

There is immense practicality to this prayer. The first half gives all the reason anyone would ever need to get as much of the Bible into their hearts and minds as possible. Life is terribly uncertain, particularly in this modern age when the only constant seems to be change. The Holy Spirit guides us, certainly, but the more of the Bible we get into us, the more material we are giving Him to work with. The image, mentioned in several places in the OT, is of a sure-footed deer or goat on a mountainside, walking and even running without hesitation in places that would be very difficult for mere humans to travel at all. And that brings us to the second half of the prayer. The world is filled with temptations and pitfalls of all sorts. When we make the Word our guide, we won’t fall into those, and sin won’t control our lives. That’s not to say we’ll never sin – 1 John is very clear on that point – but we will recognize our sins and repent quickly, not allowing them to take root and control us.

This is of course relevant to me all the time, but it seems particularly applicable today, as I am on a business trip to a location I’ve never been before. I do have good directions, but it certainly helps for the Lord to make my way sure! Likewise, in unfamiliar circumstances, unexpected temptations can pop up. There, too, I need the help of the Holy Spirit to stand firm, wearing the full armor that God provides. As a pastor, one of the cries of my heart is for each of the believers to absorb as much of the Word as possible, making it their own through familiarity and meditation. People come to me all the time asking for direction and advice about decisions that face them. I must not answer them out of my own understanding, but point them to God and speak only what He is saying. This verse applies to all who will receive it, and I need to do all I can to make it easy for people to appropriate and apply it.

Father, thank You for the incredible privilege of being the product of several generations who lived by this verse. As familiar as I am with the Bible, keep me from ever taking it for granted. Show me more and more how to meditate on it, to make it part of me, not only so that my way may be sure, but so that Your truth may be communicated through me to as many as possible, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!