He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights (Psalm 18:33).
The last few days I’ve watched deer glide in and out of the woods. A couple of nights ago, at dusk, we drove down a heavily wooded, gravel road. Our truck scared up several deer bedded down in dense cover. They immediately popped up and bounded away, easily jumping over downed trees along a rocky hillside.
The next day, I worked with my brother to clear brush off a steep bank alongside Lake Taneycomo, in southern Missouri. Between trying to balance on the unstable slope and dodging patches of poison ivy, I failed the “feet of a deer” test. I ended up in the water, although I avoided most of the poison ivy. I never felt secure on that particular height.
The deer looked on with pity. Whether they leap and bound when startled, or carefully place their feet while feeding, grace always marks their movements.
I don’t know where David watched deer. Probably during his long days caring for sheep. I imagine him observing the difference between the clumsy sheep and the athletic deer—and that drew him to the Lord’s goodness.
David called upon the Lord, who saved him, and in his relief he felt as free as a deer in the mountains. I’m enjoying his understanding as the deer drift around me this week here in the Ozarks.
Week twenty-one of reading the Bible cover to cover
Photo by Benoit Gauzere
Enjoyed that from your perspective!
Thank you! We also saw a baby fawn bedded down in the grass a couple of days ago, right at our feet. They hide in the grass. It bounded away, looking for its mama. Really pretty.