My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped. (Psalm 17:5, ESV)
Seven times I have been privileged to journey through the Holy Land (Israel), where I have experienced the Biblical stories jump off the page time and time again. I have traveled with amazing people from different backgrounds and cultures, and some have become lifelong friends. But the most impactful experiences for me have come as a result of experiencing God’s love story through my feet–walking in the arid wilderness, climbing a mountain, wading through the Jordan, and standing on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. God has used my feet in his land to allure me and speak tenderly to me (Hosea 2:14).
Whether life feels unstable, hard, or easy at the moment, Jesus is the ground your feet must hold fast to and he will make sure you don’t slip.One of my favorite courses in West Michigan is Wuskowhan Golf Club. Not only do I enjoy many great relationships there, but it is a beautiful walking course surrounded by a forest of trees and water. Even though Wuskowhan is on the opposite extreme of the Negev wilderness, each time I walk the course I feel the undulations of the land and my spirit feels grounded to something bigger that rarely occurs when riding in a golf cart.
As I continue to play more golf again, this theme about the importance of the feet seems to recur. Whether professional or amateur, it’s really easy for golfers to get hyper-focused on little pieces of the swing and forget that it really all begins in the feet. If you can’t feel the ground with your feet, the rest of the swing is irrelevant. Balance, energy, and power all begin in our feet. This idea has not only been a great reminder for my own swing, it has also changed the way I have started helping my friends and pro-am partners during our rounds together.
During a season that has been filled with many transitions, loss, and unmet longings, I have felt God’s gentle reminder to pay attention to keeping my feet firmly grounded in Jesus. He is the only true north I desire to follow and that means I need to create space in my day where I can be still and listen for his voice–whether it be by journaling, reading the Word, or merely sitting still. Sometimes keeping my feet grounded in Jesus means I need to ask those in my community for help instead of trying to be a lone ranger (which I do often). And other times, it’s as simple as pausing to breathe and to feel the weight of my feet touching the ground.
Today I hope you will consider your feet. Has God led you through a wilderness, up a mountain, along a shoreline and whispered his love to you? Do you experience your golf course or swing through your feet? Have you considered what it means for you to be firmly grounded in Jesus?
Whether life feels unstable, hard, or easy at the moment, Jesus is the ground your feet must hold fast to and he will make sure you don’t slip.
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Tracy Hanson
August 25, 2016
Copyright 2016 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.