Take care of the feet

Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will exult in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places.

--Habakkuk 3:17-19

These verses fell to me tonight in my church Bible study. I needed them, needed to say them out loud like that.

The last verse especially settled in and stuck out. "Hind" is a pretty old synonym for "deer," but when I read this verse I don't think of deer in Israel, I think of mountain goats out west, jumping around and climbing nearly sheer surfaces as though falling isn't even a possibility.

The thing is, God doesn't always level our paths for us (although sometimes He does, or calls others to do it, e.g. Hebrews 12:13). Sometimes the places He has for us to walk through are rocky and steep and dangerous, and instead of smoothing out the paths, He gives us the right kind of feet.

From the end of the earth I call to You

when my heart is faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

--Psalm 61:2