Secure on the Heights
“the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.” – Psalm 18:32-33
This past winter brought difficult news for my mom and our family. A breast cancer diagnosis would require her to undergo intense chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. It was something we never saw coming and something we did not know how to prepare for. It may have been a surprise to us, but it was not a surprise to God.
By God’s grace and love for us, He has given my mom and our family strength that we know could have only come from Him. Psalm 18:32–33 says, “the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.”
This is a Psalm that David wrote after God delivered him from Saul and his enemies. We also see this in 2 Samuel 22. One commentary says that this would suggest it was sung by David at different times when looking back at all he had gone through and could see God’s faithfulness.
This Scripture came to mind when my mom told me about a deer that has been coming to her front yard throughout this year. The deer often sits in their field and visits. I told her that it was God’s way of showing her that He has been with her through it all, giving her the strength to endure this year. He has made her feet like those of a deer so that she can walk through this year safely, even though it has brought unexpected valleys and uphill, rocky terrain. As one teaching puts it, a deer does not stumble on rocky places; it moves with confidence. That is what she has done this year, taking one day at a time and placing her faith and confidence in God, knowing that He has the next step and will not let her stumble or fall.
You may be walking through a journey that seems like an uphill battle, such as this one, or an unknown place you never dreamed you would navigate, but you can trust God and know that He gives you the strength to endure. God can steady every step and make you secure on the heights.
