Habbakuk 3:19

Habakkuk 3:19
"The sovereign LORD is my source of strength.
He gives me the agility of a deer;
He helps me to negotiate the rugged terrain."

Verse 19 of this chapter really stuck out to me, seeing how confident Habakkuk is in God's ability to bring him through even the tough situations. It isn't a confidence that God will victoriously and painlessly solve all of his (and the nation's) issues, but it IS confidence that no matter the circumstance, come mountain high or valley low, God will be there to guide and strengthen him.

This verse came as a great comfort particularly during the hours leading up to our son J's birth. Painful contraction after painful contraction, my mind and body were being stretched beyond bounds they had ever experienced.

"The sovereign LORD is my source of strength...." Just make it through this contraction, just focus on this one contraction and we'll deal with the next one when it comes.

"He gives me the agility of a deer;..." this pain is crippling, Lord your grace is sufficient, help me to focus on You and to relax my mind and body.

"He helps me to negotiate the rugged terrain." No baby yet?!? As hard as I'm pushing, you'd think baby would have literally popped out by now! Seriously! This kicks butt. [no pun intended ;)] Keep climbing, keep climbing through, the summit is so near, you can almost see it.

God was and is good and our little boy was born healthy with eyes wide open, ready to take on the world. The summit was reached and we praised God for guiding us through. We beheld the beauty of parenthood as one views the endless mountains from the summit. The view almost takes your breath away, and then you pause and look back at how far you've come. The hike was hard, treacherous at times, but you made it.

Other times in our lives look like this as well.... the rugged terrain, the steep climb that seems unconquerable, slips and trips along the way that discourage us as we keep going, one foot in front of the other. God is there, right beside us, guiding us through the rugged terrain.

For some of us and in some seasons of life, that climb is long. Our life is like a mountain range with one mountain after another to climb. The climb is hard and sometimes the summit isn't even visible as trees and huge boulders prevent us from seeing the top. Sometimes we encounter what we think is the summit only to find it as a knoll not even half-way up the mountain.

"The sovereign LORD is my source of strength.
He gives me the agility of a deer;
He helps me to negotiate the rugged terrain."

At times, I ponder how He is giving me the agility of a deer, because quite frankly I don't feel flexible or able to traipse through the current situation, but He IS there, patiently guiding, giving me the strength I need for that situation. And then, when I...we get to the top, I look around and revel in the beauty. Then I glance back at how far I've...we've come. That's when I realize that no matter the circumstance, He DID provide the strength, agility, and discernment all along the way. He didn't just fly me to the top and save me from the climb. He didn't say, "O, we'll just skip this mountain, it's a big one." No, He steadily and patiently guides us up, step by step.