Gospel Harmony Joy Note 5: In reading the end of Zacharias' prophecy for his son, he finishes in Luke 1:79, "'to guide our feet into the way of peace.'" Of course I liked the bit about the Sunrise coming to shine upon those who sit in darkness, but I was surprised to find myself exulting more in the last line.
You see, either a plea for or thanksgiving of sure footing is one of the common themes I have labeled in the first 79 psalms of the Psalter. I struck me that this collection of prayers are filled more with hearing and speaking and footing, than with sight. So the adage that seeing is believing does not really hold true.
Zacharias tells us this plain as day. The way of peace is in the footsteps of Christ. Those lead to the cross. So, all that bunk I had taught about journeys with Jesus, about walks with Christ--sharing ours and listening to the testimony of others--is all moot. It is not about my journey or my footsteps. It is about the path, the sure footing, that our Triune God provides to His children.
Suddenly, all that wandering in the wilderness, all that walking that Israel did, no longer seems the slightest bit insignificant. The pillar that led them by day and by night was marking the path upon which God was guiding them.
The way of peace is not a guiding of our minds or our hearts, but our feet. But this doesn't mean that I should despair even more about no longer being able to walk any significant length. The only path that matters, the only sure footing, is the path Jesus took *for us.*
In the Psalter, also, there is a frequency of saying that God is our rock. In fact, in 18:2, you have rock, fortress, and deliverer all together, which I find interesting. In 27:5, the psalmist declares, "For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock." I never really thought about how standing on a rock is probably another way of speaking of sure and certain footing ... as well as having a vantage point for what lies before you and an advantage over your enemy's approach/assault.
At the cross, the wandering is over. At the cross, the uncertainty is gone. Oh, my, "It is finished," just took on a whole new meaning!
I am Yours, Lord. Save me!
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