Habakkuk ~ Again

I have been thinking a lot about the last few verses of Habakkuk 3. Verses 18-19, “18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights.” (NLT) The NLT study Bible says deer instead of hind, and the study help says “sure footed CONFIDENCE” (emphasis mine). I saw three deer on the big ditch the other day. They run so fast and they are so sure footed. I run along the big ditch, and it’s pretty uneven terrain for me. I watch where I put my feet, I don’t run with the same confidence I do on the pavement. I can’t run in a straight line, because I’m always looking ahead for the smoother places to run. But these deer, they just bound right along, they don’t look down, or worry about the path. I thought of that in context of this verse, and how sure I can be of my path, when I walk with Jesus. I also realized this morning when I was trying to pick which dress shoes to wear to work how difficult I make things. These are the two pairs of shoes I was choosing between.

How could I be sure footed walking anywhere in these insane things? I know these don’t look comfortable or easy to walk in, and I spend 10+ hours a day in them sometimes. I’m just really practiced up. But I would not wear these to run in, or even to walk on uneven terrain. I walked across the backyard in them this morning, and liked to have killed myself.

I wonder how much harder I make my life. (I think life would be harder in ugly shoes). Sometimes, I am not sure footed, and my burdens certainly do not seem light. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28-30, “28Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (NLT). One definition of the word yoke is “a connection (like a clamp or vise) between two things so they move together”. What a great idea. Clamp myself to Jesus so that we move together. Don’t fight against the yoke, but move within it, where he wants me to go. I’m going to have to work on this. It’s such a simple concept, so why the neck ache?