Hinds Feet

He made my feet like the feet of a deer 

and set me secure on the heights. 

Psalm 18:33

David had been running and hiding from Saul and the enemies of God's plan for what likely seemed an endless amount of time, but finally he saw their defeat.  Psalm 18 is a Psalm of praise and confession spoken after his enemies were destroyed.  Much more than the "I" in this Psalm, we see the "HE" and God's great power over the foe. This verse is used 3 times in the Scriptures, once in 2 Samuel 22:34 where this Psalm is repeated and once in Habakkuh 3:19.  In each case the passage is referring to God's power to defeat the enemy and save His chosen.

God has given the deer speed and incredible strength to help them escape their predators. They run quickly and effortlessly jump over logs and streams. They leap left and right to confuse whatever is chasing them.  I must say that I am not fast, nor strong, nor a very good jumper.  I have heard that if one is avoiding a bullet, he should run back and forth rather than straight ahead in order to make it more difficult for the shooter to hit him.  Hopefully if I am ever in that situation, I will remember that!  

But more importantly, we must remember that our God is able to save us from the enemies of this life.  He gives us what we need when we need it, and we may trust Him fully.  David had suffered much trial, but when God delivered him, his first response was praise and confession of God's power, not his own.

I often feel like a baby deer, caught in the clutches of the enemy.  Oh, my enemy is not a lion or a deer hunter.  But the enemy is lurking nonetheless.  Our lives on this earth are not to be spent in unbridled peace and comfort, but they are the preparation place for an eternity of peace and joy.  And while we are here in the battle we may say with David, 

"In my distress I called upon the Lord; 

to my God I cried for help.

  From His temple He heard my voice, 

and my cry to Him reached His ears." 

(verse 6)

Therefore, we must never fail to pray, 

"The Lord lives, and blessed be my Rock, 

and exalted be the God of my salvation.

(verse 46)

Just a little deer,

Gloria