Where Shall We Walk Today?

He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.

2 Sam 22:34

It won’t be long now before the women of LifeHouse Church gather for a much anticipated EQUIP Women’s Weekend. We will spend the weekend being encouraged, challenged, and equipped through the word of God. “Beholding God” is the theme and the desire is that, as we go about our days, we would do all that we do with our eyes fixed on Him – gazing upon His beauty and focusing on who He is.  

It should be no surprise that when God places a message on my heart to share, He first intends to make it a reality in my own life. “Beholding God.” Have I mastered the concept of “beholding God?” In short, no.

• What does that look like practically, day in and day out?
• What does “Beholding God” mean for a wife, a mother, a daughter, a coworker, a sister? 
• What does it look like in this fast-paced culture of uncertainty and challenges?   

In a world of scrolling, truly, we don’t behold much.  

To behold is to observe, to watch, to gaze. It takes time and intentionality – to attentively look upon God. 

It’s simple, really. If we will take the time each day to sit before God and behold Him APART FROM our long list of requests of Him and our ever-changing, busy, and sometimes messy lives, we will find that He is unchanging. He is never taken off guard or scrambling or winging it. 

He is steadfast. 

He is peace. 

He is joy. 

He is love.

We often “invite Him in” to our circumstances but have we ever thought of “stepping out to behold Him where He dwells?” To get a really good picture of that, perhaps you could take some time today and read Revelation 4.

I am guilty of begging God down into my problems instead of letting Him lift me up.

I think of the prophet Habakkuk in the Bible. He was crying out to God for the people of Israel who had forgotten God and were living heavily in idolatry. Things were a mess! Hardship pressed in on every side. But look what happened when he went before the Lord and spent time gazing upon Him. God changed his perspective. These are the words of Habakkuk after “beholding God.”

Though the fig tree should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold

and there be no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD;

I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

GOD, the Lord, is my strength;

he makes my feet like the deer’s;

he makes me tread on my high places.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

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Habakkuk’s circumstances did not immediately change. His view did.

He turned His gaze. I like what I read in The Bible Handbook, The Daily Grace Co.,

“God was patient with (him).  He walked with the prophet while he wrestled with doubts and confusion. God is compassionate, and He will lead us to greater faith when we pursue him and seek to rightly understand His character.” 

The Bible Handbook

So we see, a benefit of walking with God is the opportunity to rightly understand His character. You cannot truly begin to know someone until you walk with them. 

I find that I often unintentionally look at God as my instructor or guide. Yes, He does both of these things, but His goal is not to manage me. He wants to enjoy me. And He wants me to enjoy Him.  

Instead of going to God for His “instruction for my day” and then setting out alone, He desires me to ask, “Where shall we walk today?”

Boy, I like that so much better! – To walk with God instead of just get my instructions for the day and check back later. What a wonderful thought! Can you see the beauty of such a relationship: walking throughout the day with God at your side, allowing Him to take you up and out of your view of your circumstances to see all things from His?  

I’ll close with how this hit home for me just this morning. I have truly enjoyed preparing for our women’s event and spending time considering what it means to behold God. But this morning, with the days dwindling, as I sat down to spend time with the Lord, I felt restless. I wanted to read the scriptures. I wanted to commune with God in the quiet of the morning. But I began thinking of all the details that still needed to be ironed out for the event. I stopped reading, and I hurriedly scribbled to-do lists in my journal. I wondered, “What about this?” “Who will do that?” I sent some texts and set some reminders. 

Before long, my “quiet time” turned into command central. I had completely forgotten this time was set aside to commune with God. I was anxious. And then I was sad that while I sat before the Lord, all I was doing was sorting out a task list to handle later today.  

Ashamed, I stopped and prayed, “God, please forgive me. Somehow this morning, I have pushed You out and allowed all the things I need to do today to overwhelm my heart. I will put all this away and focus on You.”

But I felt God impress on me, “These things are important to me because you are doing them FOR me. I am delighted that you will encourage the women to learn to Behold Me. In doing so, they will enjoy Me so much more. Don’t view these tasks as separate from communing with me; bring them with us as we walk today.”

Immediately I was able to put my cares aside and get back to enjoying my quiet time because I was reminded God would walk with me throughout today. He would be there to prompt me and to help me as I worked out every detail.

In a moment I will get up from my quiet time chair eagerly saying, “God, where shall we walk today?” I joyfully make this my prayer. Whatever today holds, I want to walk with Him and see it from His perspective on the heights.  

How about you? Have you managed, as I had, to separate daily living from walking with God on the heights? I tend to slip into this habit more times than I care to admit. Let Him take you by the hand and walk with you today.