The Lord is my Strength

The prophet Habakkuk shared that deer illustrate the strength we have in the Lord God independent of the surrounding circumstances.

“Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.”

Habakkuk 3:17-19

God enables us through faith to tread on the heights in victory over our enemies (world, flesh, devil) according to His grace. We rejoice in the God of our salvation and strength. This strength in God is like that of the deer which gracefully move sure-footed through the mountains.

My son Thomas and I watched about 150 Elk (of the deer kind) with calf’s move across a high plateau of the Beartooth Mountains of Wyoming (8:45 AM, August 13, 2017, 10,000-11,000 ft. elevation). There were a couple of small groups of Elk far ahead of the large group that appeared to be on alert for a wolf pack in the area. Pictured is my son taking photos of the distant herd on the cold morning (36 degrees F). Later we looked over a ridge and saw them again in closer range.

.

A second hike, two days later in the same vast area was with my wife, Lida. Then we were treated to see a group of 19 mature bucks. On sighting us, they split into two groups. One left toward a group of 10 bucks that were resting on a hillside across a valley to the East. The other left toward a large group of cows and calf’s and a large buck resting in a valley to the West. The Elk illustrate the majesty of their Creator-God.

Our destination was Deep Lake which was about 1,500 feet below these fields. The descent to the lake and back helped us to appreciate the strength of the Elk as they moved across the valleys and high, vast places with ease. According to the word of God through Habakkuk, these scenes illustrate the strength the Church has in God. We can trust God who made all things and controls all things. The truth of his word sets us free to live for God with sure and stable footing. We Abide in Him through prayer, patience and hope to enable us to travel through the valleys and hills of life with thanksgiving and expectation of victory. Not in our own strength, but in the power of Christ.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

I enjoy the song, “The Lord is My Light” which includes the phrase “the Lord is my strength, to whom then shall I be afraid.” Here is a recording of my son, Thomas singing the song last December.