Morning of Praise- November 16th- Marshall First Christian Church

A couple of evenings ago, the praise team had rehearsal for the “Morning of Praise” which is coming up this Sunday, November 16th, during the 9:45 and 11:15 services. At practice we played a song that we haven’t played in ages called “Step by Step”. Since then, the second verse, of that song, has been playing over and over in my head. It says this:

Sometimes I think of Abraham
How one star he saw had been lit for me
He was a stranger in this land
And I am that, no less than he
And on this road to righteousness
Sometimes the climb can be so steep
I may falter in my steps
But never beyond Your reach

The part that has primarily been going through my brain is the line that says, “He was a stranger in this land, and I am THAT no less than he.” How true that is.

As I walk through this life, one of my greatest desires is that I stay “Step by Step” with God. I fear that in my pridefulness I will decide to take things into my own hands and run ahead of Him. Or the opposite, that in my stubbornness I will disobey, and fall behind Him. I know that it is best for me to stay step by step with God.

If you are alive and reading this right now, :-) I can guarantee you that God has a purpose for your life. It is His desire to not only reveal that to you, but to guide you step by step through it.

In Psalm 119, the heart cry of the Psalmist also seems to be a desire to walk step by step with God. You can hear his passion as he beckons God with requests such as these…

Psalm 119:33,34
God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course. Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—my whole life one long, obedient response.
And this…

65-74 Be good to your servant, God; be as good as your Word. Train me in good common sense; I'm thoroughly committed to living your way. Before I learned to answer you, I wandered all over the place, but now I'm in step with your Word. You are good, and the source of good; train me in your goodness. With your very own hands you formed me; now breathe your wisdom over me so I can understand you…

If you desire to get in step with God, and/or to stay in step with God, then I invite you to prepare your heart for worship Sunday as we pray/sing our way through Psalm 119..

Psalm 119:1-8 You're blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You're blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That's right—you don't go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set.

I can’t wait to worship with you.
Missy



Further reference: When the song speaks of one star being “lit for me”, the writer is referencing Genesis 15:1-6

1 Sometime later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.”
2 But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. 3 You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.”
4 Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” 5 Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”
6 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.