JESUS CALLS US TO THE HEIGHTS IN LIFE
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“God the Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer; He makes me walk upon the heights!” – Habakkuk 3:19 –
Are you treading on the heights in life or slogging through its depths? Are you caught in the mire of worldly challenges and lingering trials?
Jesus calls us to the heights… the high places where we can walk by faith above our troubles. His promise is to imbue us with His strength and spiritual confidence so we can navigate life’s rugged terrain. Our steps are steady and sure. Our feet do not slip.
As we unpack these beloved verses written by the prophet Habakkuk, we discover hope and encouragement for our Christian walk. Our lives are not to be lived in the miry depths where defeat and despair overwhelm. For we are not of this world, just as Jesus is not of this world. He chose us out of this world (John 15:19).
Our path is not to follow in the way of worldly beliefs and values. Our path lies in the footsteps of Jesus. Our Lord understood His divine nature as He walked through His earthly life. His thoughts, His heart, His Spirit lived in the heavenly realms. He lived above the troubles, the evils in the world.
“It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He causes me to stand on the heights.” – 2 Samuel 22:33-34, Psalm 18:32-33
David wrote similar verses in his song of praise after the Lord delivered him from all his enemies. Like Habakkuk, David understood how our spirits can dwell by faith in God’s heavenly realm while our feet walk in this earthly life. No matter what we face, it is with a trusting heart and a quiet confidence.
“When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ Your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.” – Psalm 94:18
Too often our path in life is riddled with obstacles and difficulties that cause us to stumble. Or the miry bogs of fear and worry sap our strength. Or we are downtrodden by the burdens that encumber us. Our hearts are heavy. Our spirits sink. Our faith fades.
Yet this is not the way our Lord wants us to walk on our life’s journey. He is our loving Guide who leads us to the heights. Just as deer walk sure-footed, steadily, nimbly springing about on the craggy cliffs and hillsides, so our Lord desires that we tread trustingly on the heights by His grace.
Living in close communion with Jesus, we rise above to a higher plane. We remember the hope to which we are called and the surpassing power we have in Him (Ephesians 1:19). He breathes new life in us, renewing us for the path ahead.
Our mighty Lord infills us with His divine Spirit as we walk in union with Him. His powerful, victorious strength shines forth to overcome our weaknesses. Our undaunted faith leads us on with confidence to face life’s oppositions, challenges and difficult times.
“I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock and made my footsteps firm.” – Psalm 40:1-2
The deer find refuge in the heights, safe from predators. Jesus lifts us to the heights, above the fray of life, protecting us from its ills and evils. He smooths our path before us, guiding us safely along. Our steps are secure, unhindered by the ups and downs of life’s terrain.
In the heights where Christ leads us, we see clearly. Confusion, clamor, stress, unrest are left behind. We view life from His lofty perspective. No longer do circumstances and events control us. For we turn it all over to the One who controls all.
Walking on the heights takes great faith. We pray for this faith that only our Lord can offer us. We trust resolutely in His sovereign orchestration of our lives, our happenings, our world, our future. Our faith is fortified in His holy presence. He strengthens and prepares us for whatever lies ahead on our life’s journey.
