Habakkuk
3:19
The
Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me
walk on my high places.
Hinds are known for being highly agile and sure-footed,
capable of navigating steep, craggy and dangerous mountain terrain. I recently watched
videos of how they cross steep slopes, where there seems to be no secure
footholds for anything to be able to jump or stand on – and yet they do! They
can jump great distances over treacherous chasms and land on the other side on
some ridiculously thin piece of rock – amazing to see!
They have a unique hoof structure to help them do this –
two-toed hooves that can spread to provide a better grip on uneven and slippery
surfaces. Also, when climbing, a hind places its back feet exactly where its
front feet have just stepped, ensuring that the back feet land on stable
footing already tested by the front feet.
This is the picture the prophet Habakkuk had in mind when
he had to make the choice of how to react to the dire circumstances surrounding
him then, and also facing him in the future. He lived in a society that was
full of wickedness and injustice. Faced with this ever-increasing corruption,
he started doubting that God was hearing his pleas for help. God answered the
prophet and said that He was not passive in this situation, He was going to use
the Chaldeans to judge Judah.
Habakkuk than presumed to question God on His decision to
use such a wicked nation as an instrument of discipline. God reminded him that
He controls the destiny of nations, and that He would in the future greatly
punish the Babylonians for their arrogance and greed against Judah.
The prophet knew that the coming invasion of the
Chaldeans would lead to utter desolation and famine, and this was the moment
when he made his choice on how to react. He modelled for us how we are to
manage the three things that we can control when circumstances around us
turn hostile:
1. Who
we trust – Habakkuk chose to trust God unconditionally, and this choice
initially caused him great anxiety.
2. Our
perspective - He chose to believe that God knows best, and his subsequent decision
to wait patiently for things to develop, filled him with great peace.
3. What
we do – Habakkuk chose to write a psalm, which is recorded in chapter 3. It is
set to wild, enthusiastic and triumphal music – he is rejoicing in Who his God
is, in what He has done in the past, and in the fact that the future will lead
to redemption!
Which brought him to the image of a hind, and the feet
that it has. We cannot control our circumstances which are ever-changing and
give us no stability, just as the deer cannot control the terrain that it has
to speed over when running from its enemies. But when we joyfully put our
complete trust in the Lord our Master and Covenant God (the meaning of the
names Adonai and Yahwe which Habakkuk used) – we develop hinds’ feet,
specialized to keep us safe from slipping or falling on high places.
Pearls to ponder:
The song that Habakkuk wrote was a way for him to remind
himself that he had decided to put his unwavering trust in the Lord his God.
Sing his song every time you feel uncertain or fearful of the future, to remind
yourself also!
