Deer’s feet

“The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills...”. ‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬ ‭‬‬

“He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭18‬:‭33‬ ‭‬‬

“He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places.” ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭22‬:‭34‬ ‭‬‬

Google AI overview in response to what makes deer’s feet so special stated “Deer feet are special because they have hooves that provide traction and cushioning, and dew claws that help them maneuver in snow and mud. 

Hooves

• Hard outer layer: Digs into the ground for traction 
• Soft inner layer: Cushions the landing when the deer’s hooves hit the ground 
• Attached to the lower leg by a ligament: Allows for smooth steering 

Dew claws

• Two vestigial toes: Located behind and above each hoof 
• Correspond to the human pointer and pinky fingers: Usually only touch the ground in snow or mud 
• Broaden the foot’s platform: When a deer walks in snow or mud, the dew claws are visible in the track 

Deer hooves help them: Sprint at high speeds, Maneuver through different ground conditions, Scale steep inclines, and Clear tall structures from a standing jump.”

Mine high places – Strong’s H1116 – bāmâ – high places, battle-fields, the chief places of the land giving possession, victory, dominion:

Strength – Strong’s H2428 – ḥayil – strength, usually physical:

Sets me – Strong’s H5975 – ʿāmaḏ – cause to stand firm

Makes me walk – Strong’s H1869 – dāraḵ – cause to tread or march, lead,

God is my physical strength. He has made my feet so they can sprint at high speeds (sprinting is used for reaching a target quickly, avoiding or catching an opponent, and is both a cardiovascular and anaerobic exercise according to several online resources.), maneuver through different ground conditions and terrains, scale steep inclines, and clear tall structures from a standing jump.

This year one of my words for the year is strength. So I believe it is intentional that the scripture has jumped out at me while doing an extended time of prayer. It is a scripture I’ve meditated on multiple times over the past decade. It further grabbed my attention because this verse from Psalm was highlighted in my daily reading plan. Then my devotional from Jonathan Cahn‘s Book of Mysteries talked about the road to Zion, which is the highest point in ancient Jerusalem. He talked about how often we get focused on the conditions of our journey instead of the destination.

God is my physical strength. In the natural, I am weak. I have some strength but I know strength is not one of my assets. Really nothing physically in my body has been, but God. He knows I am not fast. I am not a runner and have very little endurance. But God gives me feet like dear. If there is something He needs me to get too quickly, or I need speed to avoid the enemy or to catch the enemy, it will only come through a God gives me.

I believe we are moving into a “suddenly time” with God where He will be moving us rapidly towards targets to tear down strongholds and to advance His kingdom. I don’t know what my part in that will be, but He does. He will equip me for it.

God is also equipping me and His people to move through different terrains and conditions. We have gotten used to the comfortable pasture where our needs are easily met, and the enemy can be seen coming. The time is coming that we are going to need to be able to navigate through dense forests, rocky inclines, and slippery slopes. Hopefully, not in the natural, but certainly in the spiritual.

He will cause us to scale steep and treacherous inclines and mountains. Being someone who struggles with high altitudes, I want the deer’s feet and lungs in the natural as I want to climb steep hills in my state. But I also believe this to be a call in the spiritual.

Some mountains are not going to move, but we are going to have to climb them. We’re going to have to be conditioned for this spiritually because the journey will not be easy. God may give us the deer’s feet, but baby deers don’t have the ability to reach high places, they can’t jump like bigger deer.

And we may need to jump tall things from a standing position. There will be things that come out of nowhere to oppose us. Or places where we need to go that are tall. This is something deer feet can do.

I remember once going out to our own close trash dumpster at work. Imagine my surprise when a deer jumped out over the fence. I can’t imagine there was space for them to land to get in there, but they were certainly able to jump out when I startled them.

David’s high places mentioned in Psalm and 2 Samuel were battlefields for Israel. God will lead me and cause me to stand firm in battlefields – places of possession, victory and dominion. They are going to be battlefields that God is leading us too, and will help us to stand firm when we face them.

This word both terrifies me and excites me. It terrifies me because I can see the battle coming, despite not really knowing what it will look like. But I also excited and I am strengthened knowing that God is my strength for the battle. He has equipped to me, and each of His children, with His armor and deer feet, so that will be able to stand where He leads us. The battle will not be easy; but He will be victorious, just as David was victorious in the high places. I need to keep my eyes off the circumstances in the battle, and hold fast to the end destination of where God is taking me.



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