A Sure Footing

 

^“Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.”-Psalms 18:36

 

In battle, a sure footing is the difference between life and death.  One slip, and your guard drops which consequently makes you vulnerable.  That vulnerability will give the enemy advantage over you, and death is sure to follow.

 

Psalms eighteen is filled with metaphors of war.  The Psalmist David uses phrases such as “he is buckler,” “he is a shield,” “he teaches my hands to war.”   The thirty third verse says: “He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.”  Like a mountain goat who can run on vertical cliffs, the Lord is the one who gives him the ability to do and accomplish impossible things and win impossible battles.  David was a man of war.  He lived and fought physical battles where one slip was the difference between life and death.  One foot out of place or one step on shaky ground could bring you down and cause your doom.  This man says: “He hast enlarged my steps.”  The Lord brought a bigger scope, and a wider picture to the travel of his foot, and the way he was going.  This caused him to walk in the way of victory.  We are in battle every day, spiritual warfare against an enemy that would see us slip and become vulnerable.  Our only position of victory is standing on the rock of ages.  That is Jesus Christ.  All the pillars of scripture enlarge our steps and they help to make plain the way and keep us on a sure footing.  This will help us to stand firm in the time of distresses, persecutions, trials, and tribulations.  A sure footing is the foundation to a sure guard against the enemy.  Any combat expert will tell you that a solid guard starts from a solid base.  If the base should fail, we fall and fail.  This cannot happen if we stand on the rock, and the Lord God enlarges our steps.  However, when we look to other things to stand on our steps can be hindered by the lack of foundation, and footing.  It could be another person, a career, an ideology, any trapping and trimming of the world; this could hinder our footing and make our steps unsure.  Even if they seem like wonderful opportunities that would bring times of prosperity, we should be careful.  The devil is crafty and comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.  Every good trap was a great opportunity the moment before the jaws of death were felt. 

 

Only through patience and continuance in scripture holiness can our steps be enlarged and sure.  The same Lord that taught David to war must teach us, and the “for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.”