- araratchurch
- Apr 15, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 18, 2022
“He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places.”
Psalms 18:33 NKJV
I have watched with awe, videos of mountain goats scaling or descending mountain shears, seemingly effortlessly. And, if that weren’t enough, I’ve seen them jumping from one “invisible” ledge to another!
From what I understand, among the characteristics making them able to do these awesome maneuvers are their agility, body structure, and good eyesight. However, the main feature that makes them able to do these amazing feats (you’ll discover that this is a pun), is their hooves. You see, rather than having flat hooves, their hooves are split into two parts, making them able to grab on to the smallest of protrusions in the rock face. Additionally, their hooves are rubbery, giving them traction. They also have—at the back of their hooves—what are similar to claws, used to help slow their descent when coming down the steep slopes.
So, obviously I love animals; and, watching this type of incredible behavior is thrilling, but also kind of scary. You see, the kids actually begin doing these climbing maneuvers at one to two days old! Even more fantastical than watching them make these maneuvers is the fact that they rarely fall. Generally, when they do fall, it’s males fighting each other during mating season. Also, the tiny kids may fall due to inexperience. However, in both of these cases, falling is still rare.
Now, whereas mountain goats might scale steep slopes in search of food (when food is scarce at lower levels), the main reason for their ability seems to be to protect them from predators. You see, most of the main predators of mountain goats—mountain lions, bobcats, wolves, coyotes, bears—dare not pursue them on the steep slopes; they are not equipped to do so without falling.
In our portion from Psalms today we see that David references the fact that the Lord has given him “deer’s feet.” No doubt he had seen goats traversing rocky cliffs, marveling, as do I, at their elegance. But notice, another thing that he points out is that the Lord had put him on these high places! Why had the Lord put him on these high, dangerous, places? Well, the inference is that the Lord had put him in these dangerous places to stop a pursuing “predator.”
I don’t think that many people would actually sign up to be in extremely dangerous places, literally or figuratively speaking, let alone to do so when being pursued by an enemy! But you see, that’s just it; the Lord may put us in treacherous situations—not to destroy us—but to preserve us! Additionally, if he puts us in a treacherous situation, He also equips us with the ability to navigate within it without falling or being destroyed.
When we find ourselves in situations that seem to be high, narrow, and severe—with the added element of being pursued by an enemy—we must understand that God may be doing this to protect us from a ravening wolf!
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
The Lord may put you in a difficult situation in order to protect you from your enemies; but He will also give you the ability to navigate it.
- araratchurch
- Apr 14, 2022
- 3 min read
“It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.”
Psalms 18:32, 34, 39 NKJV
FTT (Failure to Thrive) is a condition found in babies or children who aren’t developing at a normal rate. The causes for this condition are many, ranging from inadequate nutrition or care, to abuse of some sort. And then there are babies or children who fail to thrive for no apparent reason.
In litters of dogs or cats you will find what is referenced as the “runt.” The runt is smaller and seems to lack the strength the others have. Again, many times the exact reason for the runt being the way it is, is a mystery.
It does appear that in both instances I have referenced, there seems to be the elusive quality of strength that is missing.
We have all probably experienced times of physical, mental, or emotional exhaustion, where our output has exceeded our resources; and, we had to “shut down” in some way or another until we mustered more strength.
I was watching a video of a donkey giving birth. The donkey was lying on its side, lifting its head and its back legs, trying to push the foal out. After much trying, she then lay there motionless; you could see the muzzle of The little foal slightly protruding from her body. A person attending the birth said that she was going to need some help because she had no more strength. They stepped in and helped deliver the foal. Caught in this situation without help, she and the foal would have certainly died.
Sometimes the only ingredient missing from attaining success, is strength. Understand, we reference strength in many different ways: courage, endurance, stamina, and so on. Whereas these qualities may vary slightly in terms of what produces them, there is the common thread of strength. For our purposes, strength can be defined as the ability to withstand or to go on.
One of the first songs I ever sang in church as a very little girl was, “They that Wait Upon the Lord.” It was taken from this passage of scripture:
“Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”
Isaiah 40:30-31 NKJV
No matter what weapons you may have for battle, tools you may possess to complete a task, or even your training or acumen in any area, without strength to perform or endure, you will fail.
“The children of Ephraim, being armed and carrying bows, Turned back in the day of battle.”
Psalms 78:9 NKJV
The above scripture references a time where God’s people needed to go to battle; but, having broken His covenant, they no longer had the courage and strength to do what they needed to do even though they were well-armed!
Our portion from Psalms today takes us again to David’s reflection on his victory over Saul and Saul’s armies. He explains—in more than one place—how God provided the strength that was needed to win the battle. You see, no matter the foe or the challenge, God‘s strength gives the ability to stand!
What ever challenge, pressure, or attack you may be facing, remember: the strength of the Lord is the great equalizer. It is not about your strength; your strength can and will fail you. But, the strength of the Lord—working through you and around you—will never fail.
“For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall.”
Psalms 18:29 NKJV
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
The Lord’s strength never fails.
The Lord is tender to the humble soul, but harsh against those who set themselves against Him Day 30
- araratchurch
- Apr 13, 2022
- 3 min read
“With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks.”
Psalms 18:25-27 NKJV
I love to watch shows that have baby animals in them. One of the things I enjoy seeing the most is when a very ferocious animal—like a lion—is dealing with its own young. Consider what a killing machine the lioness can be when hunting her prey. As a matter of fact, did you know that the lioness does most of the hunting for the pride? The male protects the pride and stakes out territory; but it is the faster, more nimble female, that is the ferocious hunter. Yet, it is amazing to see this lioness—with these huge, sharp, teeth, well-equipping her for ripping flesh from bones—dealing so tenderly with her tiny cubs. I watch with great wonder as her huge mouth wraps gingerly around the cub, tenderly moving it from one place to another.
Another amazing thing I have seen is a huge gorilla playing tenderly with a tiny kitten. Here, this massive animal, 4 to 9 times stronger than a human being, delicately holds a kitten in its hands without so much as ruffling the kitten’s fur!
Now think of this, our Heavenly Father is an awesome God Who can effortlessly devastate His creation. And yet, when dealing with His children, He can be very tender, bringing no harm. On the other hand, we see throughout the Bible how the enemies of God can be dealt with very harshly.
God’s way of dealing with people—especially in terms of correction—is illustrated in this passage from Isaiah:
“A heavy sledge is never used to thresh black cumin; rather, it is beaten with a light stick. A threshing wheel is never rolled on cumin; instead, it is beaten lightly with a flail. Grain for bread is easily crushed, so he doesn’t keep on pounding it. He threshes it under the wheels of a cart, but he doesn’t pulverize it. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is a wonderful teacher, and he gives the farmer great wisdom.”
Isaiah 28:27-29 NLT
Consider Jesus, God made flesh. The prophet Isaiah was quoted in Matthew as saying this about the coming Messiah:
“He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.”
Matthew 12:20 NLT
This prophecy referenced the fact that the Messiah would not appear as a warrior, but rather, He would humble Himself, allowing mere mortals to brutally torture and kill Him.
However, we see that Jesus will return to deal harshly with the enemies of God!
“Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.”
2 Thessalonians 2:8 NLT
In our passage from Psalms today we see that David—having just extolled the mighty power the Lord demonstrates in defending His own—explains that the Lord deals with different people differently. He is gentle and tender with those who are humble before Him, but can be harsh with those who set themselves against His purposes.
Ultimately it’s up to us as to how we want the Lord to deal with us. I choose to be that “cub” submitting to the tender clutch that holds me fast.
Others, having chosen destruction, will one day see the Lion of the tribe of Judah, roaring before them…
For today let us know and understand what David knew:
The Lord is tender with the humble soul but is harsh against those who set themselves against Him.