The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. - Habakkuk 3:19

Habakkuk after looking at the coming desolation of Israel, the war, the ruin, the loss then looks to his God, he looks to Jehovah and declares that in God he will find greater strength. Not only strength but he also says.  He will make my feet like hinds feet.

Hinds are a type of gazelle and when it runs from a predator, it will often leap high into the air escaping from the very teeth and claws of the predator.

Habakkuk also says, "He will make me to walk upon my high places."  The prophet may have to go through the deep, dark valley but in God, he would then run up a mountain to the high and bright places only God could lead him to.

Habakkuk didn't deny the troubles around him, but he would not let the troubles deny the joy of knowing God. He knows that God will use the trial to make him stronger, swifter and higher.

Remember how Isais said it,  Isaiah 40:30-31  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Running Away or Running Through?

How will you deal with the pain, sorrow and difficulties of life, that we all will face? How will you handle the consequences of sin all around us? Will the negative things of this world beat us down or by God’s joy, lift us up? Will they make us run away or will we like Habakkuk not running from the problems but instead run straight through them?

Can we understand that the troubles you may be going through are going to be used by God to make you stronger, swifter and higher with Him? Can you see that if you will sing Habakkuk’s hymn of faith, the sorrows of this world can only bring you closer to your Lord?

The way you deal with trouble is also a measurement of your relationship and knowledge of God.  If the difficulties rob me of my joy and bring me to bitterness and emptiness it means that I really don't know God as well as I should and need to.

Let me give you the testimonies of a some other followers of God.

Oswald Chambers was a missionary and a chaplain during WWI. He died in Egypt caring for the British troops. Oswald Chambers, "The Christian is hilarious when crushed by difficulties for he knows the situation is ludicrously impossible except to God."

Quote from Nehemiah, the man who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem by telling the people to hold a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other. After they had finished and withstood the opposition, the people were told, "The Joy of the Lord is my Strength."

Brother Lawrence was a poor man who became a soldier to be able to eat, He was wounded and then entered a priory in France to work as a cook and later as a the man who repair the other monks sandals. He said this, “I know not how God will dispose of me.  I am always happy.  All the world suffers; and I, who deserve the severest discipline, feel joys so continual and so great that I can scarce contain them.”

These knew God and in the knowledge of God they found joy and strength and through Him and escape from the pain and suffering of this world. He gave them the ability to leap for joy in the midst of sorrow and to know the peace of walking the high places even in the midst of turmoil.