Habakkuk 3:19  The Sovereign LORD is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights.

Have you ever watched videos of deer or mountain goats up in the mountains on rocky terrain?  How these animals move is amazing.  I saw one involving snow leopards.  The leopard went after a ram and it was unbelievable how that ram kept its footing and moved at high speed where I couldn’t even imagine walking!

They have the ability to walk and run in very precarious places.  Such places are part of their lives.  Walking and running on the heights is normal for them.  I never thought that much about the running aspect of it until I saw the video of the leopard chasing the ram.  Given that such precarious places aren’t my thing, I could only imagine moving slowly and deliberately.

But, when we recognize that the Lord is our strength, He does things to us.  He gives us abilities that we wouldn’t otherwise have.  The more we trust Him and walk in His ways, the more we are able to handle whatever comes, whether good or bad, with grace and confidence. This includes anything that life can confront us with even if it be a tsunami, earthquake or terrorism.  There are times when decisions need to be made rapidly.  He will make our “feet” like the feet of a deer to handle them, even if things are moving faster than we would like.

No matter what happens, our desire is to always respond in a manner that glorifies our Lord.  Whether we receive great recognition, or great loss, He is our strength.  He is the One we rejoice in.  He is the source of our joy.  The Lord wants others to see Him in our responses.  He wants to use our example to create within them a thirst and hunger for Him.

Isn’t it wonderful that we have so many opportunities to bring pleasure to Him, by responding faithfully in every situation we face!