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For the first time ever, this winter, I strapped on a pair of snowshoes and hiked off at speed over head-high snowdrifts into our scrubby wetlands. It was giddy. As I made those initial strides, the thought came, "I am walking on water — frozen, but water, nonetheless!"
Snowshoes distribute the wearer's weight over the surface of deep snow so that instead of bogging down into a snowdrift and being trapped, she walks quickly to a place where she could never go without them.
The joy of that and later snowshoeing ventures sent me looking for a passage from the Bible to give words to the experiences. I found that the psalmist David said it for me:
Psalm 23:4-6 – Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (NKJV)
The psalmist and I both acknowledge walking in a dangerous place. My snowshoes giving a solid foundation for me on the deep snow is like the Lord's grace present and working to protect, supply, encourage, and surround each of us, no matter where we are.
Taking the Lord to heart as the giver of life and believing in His name empowers me to be one of His children, to live in His house, to walk through life with confidence, to trust that He provides for me, and most importantly, to find comfort in the words of the Bible and the still small voice of the Holy Spirit. The experience of knowing God through Christ makes me giddy, just like walking on frozen water.
What do you find in your walk with the Lord?
Prayer: Father, thank You! Through the new covenant established and ratified by Christ, You make us Your precious children! When we believe and walk in life, trusting Your love for us and all You do for us by Christ's redemptive work, it is wonderful. Help us to live in continual joy and to demonstrate Your grace to others. We ask in the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
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Thanks for a good word Pat.
Pat, your energy, both physical and spiritual amaze me!
Dear Pat, Thank you for your vivid picture in the devotional.
At 90 years it gives me great comfort and contentment to know that wherever I am God is always with me.
Thanks be to God, Amen.
Hi Pat,
I seem to know when the devotion is yours long before I ever get to the name at the bottom. Keep writing and inspiring others and thank you!
God bless.
Pat, What a beautiful devotional — walking on water.
Having done a lot of downhill skiing, your story held my interest.
Spiritually, the snowshoes like God’s power gives us the basic foundation of our walk with Christ. I know when I try to do things in my own strength, I fail. Thanks for writing.
Dear Pat,
I recall back in the 1970’s my school class went on a school bus trip for the long weekend in the Muskoka area. At this winter camp we did all sorts of winter sports including snowshoeing. Back then the snowshoes were quite wide and hand-made of a weaved wicker or wooden material and had leather straps for the feet. It looked funny all us kids trying to get used to walking in these large shoes and leaving the “waffle iron” pattern on the snow. One of the boys in the group didn’t believe the leader that we were walking on deep snow until he took his snowshoes off and tried walking in the snow with just his boots. He sank down to his knees and got snow in his boots when the leaders lifted him out.
Thinking back to this experience it reminded me of the Bible passage where Peter was walking fine on the water until he took his eyes off Jesus and then started sinking as he doubted.
Life is full of lessons to be learned which will always prove the Bible’s principles to be true; after all it is God’s Word.
Pat: Thank you. I have to tell you about my experience today, although it is not related to yours. I was scheduled for a shift today in a Salvation Army depot. I have been worried about getting there because snow had covered the area and I questioned as to getting our of my driveway. About half an hour ago our coordinator emailed me to say all of the depots are cancelled. Volunteers had all ready called in to report their inability to respond today. God DOES work in mysterious ways!