Lions & Tigers & Deer! Oh My!
On Sunday I was at Downs Park in Pasadena, Maryland. I saw the cutest pair of fawns so I snapped a picture of them. I stayed on the path so I would not get too close. They did not show any concern that I was there. In fact, the one would look at me occasionally, but the other one mostly ignored me.I did a bit of research and found that although several verses repeat themselves, the word “deer” is mentioned 16 times in the Bible. In a few cases, different versions interchanged “deer” with “antelope” and “gazelle”.My favorite of those 16 verses is found in Habakkuk:“The Lord God is my strength,He will make my feet like deer’s feet,And He will make me walk on the high hills.To the Chief Musician, with my stringed instruments.”Habakkuk 3:19Ok, I must confess, I really do not understand what this verse is telling me. But as I looked at those baby deer, I was reminded that I have always been awed by how fragile their legs appear. Yet I know that deer have the ability to run and leap easily and gracefully with those stick thin legs. I have also found it to be marvelous to be out in nature and see deer tracks.Perhaps the verse is saying that with God’s help, we can climb any high-hilled obstacle that is in our way. Today we seem to be facing many hills, low and high, but if we use God as our strength, we will overcome each and every one.This is my prayer for us today. “Thank you, God, for the surprises you put on our paths and for giving us strength so that we can ‘walk on our high hills’. Amen” TLB