Oh, Deer

The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. --Habakkuk 3:19

After reading this verse, I stopped for a moment to think about the benefits of God making our feet like that of a deer. Deer have tiny feet and a delicate form which enables them to lithely balance in some pretty narrow places. I am considerably less graceful than a deer, and as for my feet...well, let's just say that I have a tendency to trip over them! There are times when I feel like my spiritual life is equally awkward, and I wonder how God can even use someone like me. With my limited capabilities, some challenges are rather daunting. Taking a simpler route seems like an attractive alternative to the possibility of failure.


When it comes to living a life for Christ, no goal is too lofty. God wants us to be assertive and ambitious in serving him. I believe he also wants us to rise to the challenges we face in life. The bigger the challenge, the more we are reminded that it is only in his strength that we are enabled to do mighty things. Verses like today's remind me that no matter how adequate or graceful I may feel about how I walk through life, God gives me the feet like that of a deer. God enables me to stand in places that I thought were inaccessible to the likes of me.

In whatever plans God has for our lives, you can bet that he will lead us in some pretty tight spots. Sometimes we will have to decide whether to take the easy path, or the hard one. With God in the lead, we might not always be following the easy path, but it will certainly be the right one. Just imagine what it must be life for a deer to be able to climb up a steep, rocky mountain to be able to reach a beautiful vantage point. God has some pretty incredible vantage points for us too, but to get to them, we need to follow him.

Every day I need to remind myself to let the Sovereign Lord guide me and be my strength as I climb the high places of life's journey. I need to continually ask God for the willingness to climb higher even when the path becomes steep or rocky. When God gives me a measure of his strength, I am comforted and encouraged. In those times when no one else is willing to climb with me, God is there enabling me to find secure footing.