“…. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer…” (Habakkuk 3:19, NIV)
We often use joy and contentment as passive words, which may cause outsiders to think we have given up because our situation has not improved. But Habakuk 3:18-19 demonstrates what the power and presence of God can do when we are in joy and contentment. It does not matter how bleak the situation is.
As a sidebar, I watched an Olympic gymnast’s face after her fall in the beam final. The television producer kept panning the camera to her face as she waited for the judges’ score, and all she gave was a brilliant smile. How could she smile when she was unlikely to medal after years of sacrifice?
This must be our posture as we wait for that scholarship, promotion, mortgage application, ministerial appointment, doctor’s report, or answered prayer about a loved one, knowing we have done our best in preparing. Our waiting must not be with anxiety but with a smile for the Lord as Habakuk 3:17-19 (NIV) encourages:
“…though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Saviour.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
He enables me to tread on the heights.”
As we rejoice, we are reminded that our feet are like deer, with the strength to pivot, recover, and operate with resilience. We are also agile to make correct decisions about our family, health, finances, and more, with the potential to leap to higher heights. This is why our hearts quicken in trials: the testimonies God gives are always greater than we can think of, plan for, or imagine. Let your joy be active and alive today!
Read: Psalm 27:6, 1 Samuel 2:1
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 94:12-23; 1 Corinthians 7:1-16; Ecclesiastes 1; Ecclesiastes 2; Ecclesiastes 3
