JEREMIAH'S PRAYER

PROCLAMATION

“Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.  Discipline me, Lord, but only in due measure, not in Your anger, or You will reduce me to nothing.  Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge You, on the peoples who do not call on Your name…”  Jeremiah 10:23-25 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

These are the words of The Lord God which were spoken to the prophet Jeremiah and proclaimed to the people of Judah.  He warns the people not to take on the ways of the surrounding nations for their worship of idols is worthless. (Jeremiah 10:1-5)  Then he compares and contrasts the idols to The Lord God. (Jeremiah 10:6-16)  He again warns them of their pending destruction. (Jeremiah 10:17-18)  Then Jeremiah prayed for the people.  He asked The Lord God to punish the people mercifully and not in His anger but turn His anger on the nations that do not acknowledge Him.

APPLICATION

Many people place an idol in their homes for one to two weeks annually but claim that  they do not worship it.  They have someone cut down a tree and shape it, then they take it home, stand it upright, and decorate it. (Jeremiah 10:2-4)  Why do people imitate the ways of a pagan idol ritual and put up a “Christmas tree” which has no relation to Christ?  Many of our practices are just like the unsaved heathens.  Jeremiah prayed for the people who did not order their own steps.  Today, many of us need prayer for the same reason.  The steps of a good man are ordered by The Lord, (Psalm 37:23) but no one knows who is ordering our steps.  We need God’s mercy and not His wrath.  So, let us pray for one another. (James 5:16)

DIRECT MY FOOTSTEPS ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD

Proclamation:

“Turn to me and have mercy on me, as You always do to those who love Your name.  Direct my footsteps according to Your word; let no sin rule over me.”  Psalm 119:132-133 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by King David.  This is the seventeenth part, Pe, of this twenty-two part psalm.  David begins this part by praising The Lord and then he asks The Lord God to have mercy on him, to direct his footsteps and not allow any sinful habit to have rule over him.  He ends this part by asking that The Lord would let His presence shine upon him and states that he is saddened by the disobedience to God’s law.

Application:

We need to pray and ask The Lord God to order our steps. (Psalm 37:23)  We are sinful because of human nature and we need to pray that He will not let any sin control us.  We frequently have sinful thoughts and make sinful choices.  Only with His help can we resist sin and the devil. (James 4:7)  We are at war with sin and the devil and we need to put on the whole armor of God in order to stand up during his attacks. (Ephesians 6:11-13)  It should hurt us to the point of tears when we see The Word of God being disobeyed, especially by a child of God, and we should pray for them.

THE STEPS OF A GOOD MAN ARE ORDERED BY THE LORD

Proclamation:

“The steps of a good man are ordered by The Lord; and he delighteth in His way.  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for The Lord upholdeth him with His hand.”  Psalm 37:23-24 (KJV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  David began this psalm by encouraging the people of God, telling them not to worry about, or be envious of those who prosper by doing wrong, for God will deal with them. (Psalm 37:1-2 and 7-9)  He told them to trust in The Lord, to commit themselves to Him, to delight in Him and He will give them the desires of their heart. (Psalm 37:3-6)  David knew that The Lord God directs the steps and conduct of a good man.  The Lord God knows and approves of, guides and directs his path. (Psalm 1:6 and 37:23)  Even though he may occasionally slip and fall into sin, he will not stay down and perish, he will be kept and lifted up by the power of God through faith which leads to salvation. (Psalm 37:24)  David said that he was now old, and he had seen and experienced a lot, but he had never seen the righteous forsaken by God. (Psalm 37:25)

Application:

The direction and path of the righteous man is determined by The Lord because he follows The Word of God and walks in the way that God would have him to walk.  Regardless of the success and prosperity of evil doers, the true believer will not follow them because their way leads to destruction.  We are encouraged to wait patiently on The Lord and to follow His way. (Psalm 37:7)  We are to trust in The Lord, to do that which is good and right, and to delight in His way and know that we will be blessed for doing so. (Psalm 37:3-6)  Our prayer should be that The Lord will order our steps in His word so that we can walk worthy of our calling.  We are to keep The Word of God in our heart and on our mind. (Psalm 37:31)

THE STEPS OF A GOOD MAN

Proclamation:

“If The LORD delights in a man's way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for The LORD upholds him with His hand."  Psalms 37:23-24 (NIV)  The King James version of this verse reads: "The steps of a good man are ordered by The LORD: and he delighteth in His way.  Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for The LORD upholdeth him with His hand." 

Explanation:

These are The Holy Spirit inspired words of King David explaining that the path and steps of the believer are determined by The Lord.  Although the believer may stumble and fall into sin, The Lord will not desert him, but He will help him to get back up and to continue on the right path.

Application:

As believers, our human attempts to follow The Word of God will fall short, and we will fall into sin. (Romans 3:23)  For none of us is truly righteous, we are all far from perfect. (Romans 3:10)  However, if we confess our sins, and ask to be forgiven, He will forgive us. (1 John 1:9)   If we want Him to lead us, to guide us, to direct us, and to order our steps, then we must ask Him to do it.  If we pray and ask The Lord to guide us and to show us the right way and the right path, He will do so. (Psalms 32:8)  Our prayer should be similar to the words of the song, "Order my steps in Your Word, dear Lord; lead me, guide me, everyday ... Please order my steps in Your Word ... I want to walk worthy, my calling to fulfill;  Please order my steps, Lord, and I'll do Your blessed will ... If You order my steps, I’ll praise Your name … Please order my steps in Your Word."  

In All Thy Ways Acknowledge Him

"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."  Proverbs 3:6 (KJV)

This is one of the sayings of King Solomon, who was blessed to be the wisest man to ever live. (2 Chronicles 1:11-12)  He told the believers that they should acknowledge The Lord God in all that they do, and He would give them guidance and direction as they go through life.

It has been said that everything that happens to us is either a blessing or a lesson; and it provides us with a test or a testimony.  God is in control, and all that happens is part of His permissive will. (Job 1:6-12)  Our trials and tribulations should strengthen us, and increase our faith in The Lord. (Romans 5:3-4)  His hand is in everything, so we should thank Him, and give Him praise, honor, and glory for everything. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)  If we acknowledge Him for who He is, and for all that He has done, He will guide and direct us through this life. (Psalms 48:14)  Remember, the steps of a good man are ordered by The Lord. (Psalms 37:23)