The Lord God maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon mine High Places. ~Psa. 18:33 and Hab. 3:19
“There are no obstacles which our Savior’s love cannot overcome.
The High Places of victory and union with Christ can be reached by learning to accept,
day by day, the actual conditions and tests permitted by God,
by the laying down of our own will and accepting His.
There are lessons of accepting and triumphing over evil,
of becoming acquainted with grief, and pain,
and of finding them transformed into something incomparably precious.” H Hurnard
One of my all time favorite books uses the title of, Hinds Feet on High Places, written by Hannah Hurnard many long years ago. It is one of those books that are timeless; one that I try to read once a year if possible.
In this story, there is a young woman called Much Afraid. She starts out as a fearful, timid girl, and then begins her climb to the high places with the Shepherd. Often she fears that she will not make the journey, and that any number of evil things, or persons, such as Craven Fear, or Pride, will overcome her. And yet she preservers. . . until at last her travel companions become, Grace, and Glory, and Peace, and Joy. And in the end, she is given a new name; a name that reflects her walk with the Lord.
She represents me and my life in so many ways. But you will have to read the story for yourself to see if there is any of you in her character. . . . or perhaps another personality reflected in the book.
A number of years ago now, my husband and I had the privilege of attending a conference at the lovely Glen Eyrie Castle in Colorado. It is a beautiful place of peace and glory, nestled in the valley between several large mountains just outside of Denver. It was quite an experience to stay in one of the lovely old rooms, and to imagine what it must have been like to grow up in such splendor.
One day we decided to take a hike up into the hills. We climbed and climbed, until finally we were standing on a rocky ledge high above a lovely waterfall. Looking out toward the mountains to the West, that were bigger still than the ones we’d already climbed, we could see several bighorn sheep clinging to the sides of those tremendous edifices.
As we watched through our field glasses, the sheep would leap from one rocky crag to another, seemingly effortless. At times, it seemed impossible that they could stand on the steep side of the mountain without falling to their death onto the huge boulders below.
Even today, I can see those beautiful wild animals in my mind’s eye. And I remember thinking how they represented God’s love and grace in such a very real way.
Whenever I get discouraged, when I feel fear, or anger, or pride, trying to take hold of my life I am reminded of Much Afraid. It is in those times that I begin to be intentional about my praise, about my meditating on the Word, about my worship, and the words that I allow to come out of my mouth. You see, it is in doing these things that I inch my way up those mountains called Doubt and Fear, and I cling to the Hope that is abundant in Him.
Today, I encourage you to find a tiny corner of your life and make time to simply be quiet for a while. Spend a few moments reflecting on the good things that the Lord has brought your way, give Him praise, however fleeting or small it might be. As you do so, I assure you; faith will blossom and grow like a flower in the rockiest crags, like a mountain stream cascading over the boulders.
You will find yourself, like a hind (a bighorn sheep) fearlessly dwelling in those high places with Him.