“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. “ Psalm 37:23-24
The roar of the crowd is deafening as runners near the finish line of an important Olympic event with four favourites almost shoulder to shoulder. But the arena is silenced as one runner stumbles, loses her place, watching now as her competitors race ahead. She was well-trained, an experienced athlete who had won other events, but loss was her experience today.
Have these words ever been your own: “I get so discouraged. Just when I think I’m a ‘grown up’ Christian, I stumble and fall into old patterns of self-reliance or critical attitude or other sin practices I thought I’d ‘outgrown.’”
We’re reminded in Psalm 37:23-24 that God understands how in the race of life we will stumble. In fact, the psalmist declares that it is even the experienced runner—the one who “delights” or finds ultimate satisfaction in God—who may stumble in the race. But our faithful God is there to “uphold us with his hand,” or as Eugene Peterson writes, “If he stumbles, he’s not down for long; God has a grip on his hand.”
How encouraging to know that when we stumble, God is not only there to provide new strength for the race, but if our stumbling is caused by sin, he offers the remedy to make us whole and healthy again. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).
In Jesus we are clean, refreshed, renewed to continue the race.
By Marilyn Ehle
Used by Permission