758

Order my Steps

Scripture References

Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Further Reflections on Confessions and Statements of Faith References

This song emphasizes the action of the Christian and the church to call on God to renew our hearts through the word. These requests are based on the truths taught in Belgic Confession, Article 24: True faith is “produced in us by the hearing of God’s Word and by the work of the Holy Spirit, (and) regenerates us and makes us new creatures, causing us to live a new life and freeing us from the slavery of sin.”

758

Order my Steps

Additional Prayers

Refrain
How can a young person stay
on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray
from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, Lord;
teach me your decrees.
Refrain
With my lips I recount
all the laws that come
from your mouth.
I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.
Refrain
— Lift Up Your Hearts (http://www.liftupyourheartshymnal.org)

Holy God,
your ways are just and your commandments are true.
Help us to understand your law, and when understanding fails
inspire us to follow you in joyful obedience, so that we may faithfully serve you,
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
— Psalms for All Seasons (http://www.psalmsforallseasons.org)

A Prayer for Orderly Steps
Good God, my steps have taken me far from home.
Order my steps in your word, dear Lord.
 
I have chosen paths that lead to sorrow.
Order my steps in your word.
 
I have taken direction from your enemies.
Order my steps in your word.
 
I have been a fugitive and wanderer in the earth.
Order my steps in your word, dear Lord. Amen.
— Cornelius Plantinga, Jr.
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Order my Steps

Tune Information

Name
IN YOUR WORD
Key
D Major
Meter
9.7.9.7.8

Recordings

Musical Suggestion

This refrain comes from a larger composition by Glenn Burleigh. The full composition is published in several hymnals (see www.hymnary.org). It is set here with selected verses from Ps. 119 that use the image of walking in the paths of God’s Word.
— Psalms for All Seasons (http://www.psalmsforallseasons.org)
758

Order my Steps

Hymn Story/Background

The song “Order My Steps,” based on Psalm 119:133, was nominated for "Song of the Year" for the 1995 Dove Awards and recorded by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir; it is one of Glenn Burleigh’s best loved songs.
 
— Emily Brink

Author and Composer Information

Glenn Edward Burleigh (1949-2007) was born into a family of ministers in Guthrie, Oklahoma. He entered the University of Oklahoma as a piano major, received a Masters degree at Oklahoma City University and continued to study piano with James Mathis, former professor of piano at the University of Oklahoma and then became a student of Rosina Lhevinne of The Julliard School of music in New York City.
 
A little over a decade after his birth into a “family of ministers” in Guthrie, Burleigh began building on his roots in the Black Church. He was appointed Sunday School pianist and director of the children’s choir at age 11, which later led to his position of Minister of Music in Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Texas. Mr. Burleigh operated his own publishing company in Oklahoma City assisted by his brother, Kenneth. In addition, he served as Director of Music for the National Baptist Congress for five years and as Composer-in-Residence for the Ambassadors’ Concert Choir of Oklahoma City from 1984-2000. His music has been performed in churches and on the classical concert stage, also making an appearance in the movie The Preacher’s Wife. 
— Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame (http://okjazz.org/index.cfm?id=105)

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