“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” (Psalms 37:23)
The good man’s steps are led aright,
His way is pleasing in God’s sight,
Established it shall stand;
He shall not perish though he fall,
The mighty Lord, who rules o’er all,
Upholds him with His hand.
Though I am old who young have been,
No saint have I forsaken seen,
Nor yet his home in need;
He ever leads in gracious ways,
His life true charity displays,
His sons are blest indeed.
Depart from evil, do thou well,
And evermore securely dwell;
Jehovah loves the right.
His faithfulness His saints have proved,
Forever they shall stand unmoved,
But sinners God will smite.
The righteous, through His favoring hand,
Shall yet inherit all the land
And dwell therein for aye;
He talks of wisdom and of right,
In God’s pure law is his delight,
His steps go not astray.
The wicked, watching for their prey,
Desire the righteous man to slay,
But God is on his side;
He will not leave him in their hands
Nor count him guilty when he stands
In judgment to be tried.
Wait on the Lord and keep His way;
He will exalt thee, nor delay
To give the land to thee;
And when the wicked are cut off,
The wicked who against thee scoff,
Their judgment thou shalt see.
The wicked in great power are seen,
Like spreading tree with foliage green
That grows in native ground.
I looked again, they were no more;
I sought the men so proud before,
But they could not be found.
Mark thou the upright day by day,
Behold the perfect in his way,
His journey ends in peace.
Destroyed at once shall rebels be;
Cut off from all posterity,
Their very name shall cease.
Salvation is from God alone,
Whom as their covert saints have known
When by sore troubles tried;
The Lord, who helped in troubles past,
Will save them to the very last,
For they in Him abide.
Charles H. Gabriel, 1856–1932
