At the fringe of the garment of Jesus Was a place that was humble and low And a Master so Holy yet gentle All the years of her searching He knows While she presses through crowds Jesus lingered No one noticed her there in that place But there at the hem of His garment She found mercy and healing and grace So trust Him today and forever Take hold of the fringe of His robe For He welcomes the humble and weary And has promised us grace for the road!
God the Lord is my strength, He makes my feet like the deer’s, He makes me tread on my high places. Habakkuk 3:19 ESV
Maybe you’ve never read the book of Habakkuk or know only this final verse from a wall plaque you saw somewhere. But when life seems stressed and uncertain facing the Corona virus stalking our streets and violence threatening our society then the previous 3 chapters of this prophecy start to make sense.
In Habakkuk’s day his nation had fallen so far away from God that many were even sacrificing their children to the God Moloch in hopes of personal prosperity. There was political corruption, widespread looting and religious hypocrisy at the highest level. But these were the least of the problems that the prophet faced. On top of everything else God had allowed the merciless armies of Babylon victory after victory as they were battling against the final remnants of his nation’s defenses. A quick look at the previous 3 chapters is like the darkness of a horror film. There seemed no hope in Habakkuk’s mind as he begins writing his lament. But as Habakkuk cries out in prayer detailing his fears confusion and frustration, God answers. The Lord assures the prophet and us that no matter how bleak things appear that God has not forgotten His people or His promises. He lets us know that one day the wicked rulers of Babylon will themselves be overthrown. One day the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God. But just as the situation is with us today; that victory might be a long time coming. So what about now? What about the mountain we have to climb right in front of us?
We can be encouraged that even in our darkest most dangerous situation God will be with us. Jesus not only promises to walk by our side in our suffering, He knows the depth of our fears because He faced them Himself on the cross. He suffered willing, innocently and was forsaken on His high place called Calvary. There He purchased not only our salvation but also our victory so we would not face our own high places alone!
When God leads us on paths we have never walked we have an opportunity to learn more about what it means to really trust Him. When my wife’s battle with cancer began it turned both of our lives upside down. Our schedule, our plans and our relationship got thrown into the deep end of the pool. We suddenly had to draw on our faith in ways that we had talked about but had rarely put into practice. It was sink or swim time and on some days I was doing more sinking than swimming.
Now looking back two and a half years I can see God’s gracious love patiently snipping away a thousand loose ends of pride and selfishness. Thank God Nancy came through her surgery,six chemo treatments and physical rehab with flying colors. Now that we find ourselves on strange new path we can look back and see that through every misunderstanding, midnight pain and tearful prayer God has been faithful. Today’s verse reminds us that His grace is not because of our stellar behavior or goodness but for His own name’s sake. I recently heard Lindsay sing this hymn and was reminded that no matter the pathway God always leads us along!
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