Guide My Feet....

In the western world, we tend to want to be guided by our minds.  Our inheritance from Greek culture is rationalism; we tend to override the inner core, the heart, in favor of whatever is going on in our heads. Of course, we do not want to send our minds on vacation and live as unenlightened fools, but I am struck by how many times Scripture refers to our "feet" instead of our minds.

Mary Magadelen began her journey as a disciple of Jesus by washing His feet.  She did not ask for detailed explanations of His faith; she did not need rational proofs of the existence of God -- she wept over His great love for her, the sinner she knew herself to be, and she kissed and washed His feet.  Although we like to think of ourselves as rational creatures, we "have all gone astray, like sheep," and wandered from the path of truth.  We get ourselves into trouble -- even thinking our way into danger -- and find that we are stuck.  No amount of "thinking" will deliver us from the evil we find ourselves in; we need a shepherd to rescue us from the paths we have taken in life:

My eyes are ever on the Lord,

for only He will release my feet from the snare (Ps. 25:15).

 

I think our journey toward light and truth begins with a single step toward Jesus.  It does not begin in the mind, although often a single ray of light turns our feet in a different direction, and we begin to walk out of the darkness into the light.  What sustains our journey, however, is step-by-step guidance along the way -- as with the journey of Abraham -- not necessarily understanding where we are going or how we will get there.

 

When the two disciples of John heard him say, "Behold, the Lamb of God," they began to follow Jesus.  Now, that was not much of a rational explanation on which to base the direction of their feet that day.  In fact, it was no explanation at all -- all they knew was that John, whom they loved and respected, had eyes only for Jesus.  So they began to walk after Jesus; when Jesus turned and saw them, He asked them what they wanted.  Again, they did not ask for theological explanations or rational arguments; they simply wanted to know where He was staying.  "Come and see," was Jesus' answer to them.  Come and See.  The journey toward discipleship begins with a single step -- Walk toward Me; I will do the rest.

 

I love Psalm 18, and I return again and again to ponder its words:

 

It is God who arms me with strength

and makes my way perfect.

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;

he enables me to stand upon the heights.....

 

You give me your shield of victory

and your right hand sustains me;

you stoop down to make me great.

You broaden the path beneath me,

so that my ankles do not turn.

 

And Psalm 37:  "The Lord delights in the way of the man whose steps he has made firm;

though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand" (vv.23-24).

 

And finally, Ps. 40:

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand (vv. 1-2).







 



The most wonderful part of being a "sheep" in the sheepfold of Jesus Christ is that we do not have to  "understand" what He is doing; we may not know where we are going; we may not know how to get there, but we do know and trust our Guide, that He knows the Way and will infallibly guide us to the Path of Righteousness.  God can neither deceive nor be deceived, and He has promised us to lead us in the way of Truth.  All we have to do is to keep walking after the Shepherd Who goes before us.