The phone rang. As I answered, I heard the voice of one of my mother’s best friends, a faithful intercessor who has prayed for me since I was a little girl.
When she calls, everything stops. I pay close attention because, when she reaches out to me, she has a word from the Lord.
She said, “I’ll be brief, Sweetie, because I know that you’ve got five hundred things going on and those boys need you. As I was praying for you, the Lord gave me verse 36 from Psalm 18. He wants to tell you that he will enlarge the path for your feet.”
My spiritual mama went on to explain the message, encouraging me that God’s love reaches out to us to draw us forward on the path he has ordained.
Picture a mom or dad clearing the path for a baby who is just learning to walk. Every obstacle is removed, and the excited parent crouches a short distance from the baby, arms outstretched, encouraging the youngster with love and encouragement, “You can do it. Come to Mommy.”
In the same way, God’s love clears the path for our feet and makes the way easy to navigate. It is difficult to fail. It is improbable that we will trip and fall. God’s love for us creates the conditions for success.
Psalm 18 also tells us that God has given us hind’s (deer) feet which stand firm upon the high places (verse 33). Please notice that God himself equips us with hind’s feet. We do not have to try hard to sprout little hooves. In fact, we cannot do this for ourselves. As we find our life in Him, we release His goodness, His provision, His mercy, and He makes us to stand on the rock of His salvation.
Just in case you are not yet convinced, take a look at Proverbs 4:12 which promises that “when you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.”
God is able to make this promise to us because He is God, because His love clears the path for our feet and draws us forward. Certainly, we have the choice to sit down and reject His offer, but never does His outstretched hand cease to reach out to us in invitation.
I encourage you to let these truths sink deep into your spirit. Let His truth reveal the lies that you believe about yourself, about your path, about God himself.
The lies I sometimes believe sound something like this: “I always fail eventually. I can’t stay on the path for long. The ditches call my name. God is not able to rescue me. Perhaps he doesn’t care, or maybe He is distracted by other more important people or more important problems than mine.”
When we state the lies, look them in the face and see them for what they are, stinking messages from the accuser, we can take them before Father and ask him to reveal truth.
I always end up repenting for believing the lies, for allowing my mind and heart to be filled with thoughts and emotions that are contrary to His truth. He is quick to forgive, and He restores to me His joy and hope.
Let us take a look at one more verse that surely will overwhelm us with the truth of who God is and the hope He has for us, “The Lord earnestly waits, expecting, looking and longing to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed, happy, fortunate, to be envied are all those who earnestly wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him, for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship!” Isaiah 30:18 (Amplified)
Amen! May the Lord set your feet on the rock and your hope on His love.
