The Agility of a Deer

Early Morning Deer Sightings

          A few mornings this summer, I have come out the backdoor to discover that I have startled several deer. I continue to be surprised at their close proximity to the house. They leap effortlessly over the fence between our outer yard and the north meadow. 

          Last week, after spotting them, I opened my Bible to Habakkuk 3:19,

The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills. 

I glimpse deer so frequently. This one was
a distance away in the pasture. Seconds
after I snapped the photo, it bolted.

Habakkuk, a prophet and hymn composer of Judah just prior to the nation’s fall, wrote these words in his paradoxical hymn. The Lord reveals to him that the violence, societal degradation, and flagrant rebellion against their gracious, long-suffering God will not subside. Instead it will worsen, and Habakkuk’s beloved homeland will face the ramification of the consequences of blatant disobedience by his people. Habakkuk’s deep-seated faith in a never-failing God leads him to anticipate shortages, backsets, and lack. Nevertheless, the musical prophet attests unequivocally to God’s strength, undergirding his knowledge that God will give him the agility of a deer to traverse treacherous territory.

          A week never passes without me hearing commentary from friends, acquaintances, and even people I chance to meet concerning the frightful aspects of the era in which we live. Habakkuk’s closing line of his hymn provides me courage to trust God who” knows the future better than I know the past.” (A phrase I often heard from my father.) I seek to internalize no matter the situations I face, with my wholehearted trust in Him, I can walk through whatever lies ahead by His power and divine guidance.

One night when caring for Dad as he struggled with pneumonia, I listened to this song, Fear Not Tomorrow/I Don't Know About Tomorrow by the Collingsworth Family around a dozen times as I drifted off to sleep. It echoes the mindset of Habakkuk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmH5QQSLtNk