Devotional – Day 15

Feet of a Deer

Years ago, I used to teach 5th graders at a Christian school. I am a firm believer in the importance of reading good books out-loud to your kids. Every year, one of the books that I would read was Hind’s Feet On High Places by Hannah Hurnard.

This book is an allegory of the Christian life. It follows a young, lame girl named, Much Afraid, who goes through many encounters following the Chief Shepherd. At the end, she finally chooses to give her life to the Chief Shepherd, and, in a beautiful moment, he changes her name and makes her into a new creature called Grace and Glory.

She describes how she could now run in the high places with her Lord using the feet of a deer that he gave her.

One day while in the high places, the Chief Shepherd takes her to an overlook where she could see into the valley where she came from. Her heart begins to break for the very people who caused her so much pain.

And, in one of the last scenes of the book, you see Grace and Glory running back down the mountain with the feet of the deer to go and share the good news with those still locked in the valley.

Grace and Glory finally discovers that her new deer feet were not just a blessing for her to run around the high places, but were given to her in order to make it back down the mountain to be a blessing to others.

Earlier she had seen a waterfall, and it seemed to her as though every drop was leaping with joy off the ledge to fulfill its purpose to water the fields below. She knew in her heart that her greatest purpose and joy was to leap from the high places to bless those in the valley below.

This book was based upon the story of Habakkuk which teaches us that God is our strength even in the midst of the worst times. He gives us the feet of a deer so that we can leap in the high places. But, also, so that we can go to the hard places and bless all the people groups on earth.

This book is worth a read. You can get it by clicking HERE.