Taking a Walk

Psalm 37 is one of those “go-to” passages for me when frustration mounts over seeing how the wicked apparently get away with anything these days. But when I go there to get God’s reminder to me not to worry about such matters, I rarely read past the first few verses. Today, however, verses 23 and 24 prompted a vivid image in my mind that wonderfully depicts God’s watch over believers.


I love walking around our neighborhood with our three-year-old. He holds my hand, arm stretched up high because of the size differential, you know how that looks (I actually wonder how uncomfortable that is for kids). He needs to hold my hand, because the sidewalks are a bit uneven between several sections, so it is easy to trip and fall. And when little ones fall, the knees and hands take some punishment, not to mention the face! Unfortunately, one fall typically teaches a great deal. So he holds my hand. Then it happens, his foot catches on a section, and he begins to fall, but I have his hand firmly, so all that happens is a tightened arm, a temporary loss of balance, and ta-da! He’s cruising again in short order.

That is the picture I get in verse 24. The man here is one with whom God is delighted (from v. 23). “When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.”

I’d love to be perfect, never sinning, never even feeling temptation to sin. God knows how weak I am, so when I go about my daily walk with Him, there is His hand for me to grasp. And if I let Him, He will hold it firmly. I’m going to make mistakes, I’m going to sin; it’s just the reality of where we are on this side of glory. But this I know as well. Those trip-ups do not have to be headlong, face-scarring falls. If I am walking closely with the Lord, sin should lead to quick repentance, with the walk continuing where I left off.

There is no license or permission to sin, don;t get me wrong. And yet the more I take my walk seriously, the more I will pay attention to temptations around me, the more I will resist sin, and simply be able to enjoy the walk.

After tripping on the same section of sidewalk multiple times, my son learns to be more careful the next time we approach that section. He still holds my hand, just in case he loses focus and stumbles in another area.

I pray today we strive to never let go of the Creator’s firm, mighty, trustworthy hand!