"God is my strength, giving me feet like the feet of a deer,
enabling me to go on the heights."
(Habakkuk 3:18)
It was a California desert trail between the brownest of mountains, no northern evergreen trees or snow-capped glory. The ground was dry, dry, dry, and the steep rocky slopes were covered in gravel.
There, above us, wild goats, old bearded ones and newborn kids, tapped out a hollow percussion as they hop-skip-jumped from rock to rock. They could turn on a dime, running swiftly up daunting hillsides. It looked like they were having fun and occasional stumbles didn’t take them down.
(If you look hard at the centre-right of the photo you may see a white adult goat looking tiny compared to the huge boulder jutting out from the left.)
(If you look hard at the centre-right of the photo you may see a white adult goat looking tiny compared to the huge boulder jutting out from the left.)
God of Jesus, please give my spirit the agility of a mountain goat, the kind of confidence that Habakkuk expressed above, after his lament at the mess in his world (Habakkuk 1:2-4).
Let me believe, as he did, that with You I can hop, skip and jump over everyday bumps and unwelcome news from near or far.
Let me hear Your wise direction for my next turn.
Help me stand firm or take action with a peaceful heart and a playful optimism.
Remind me, as you reminded Habakkuk, that with You, unimaginable things are possible.
"I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
that you would not believe,
even if you were told."
(Habakkuk 1:5)
