These peril-beset feet of mine!

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(Alexander Smellie, "The Hour of Silence" 1899)

"He will keep the feet of His saints!" 1 Samuel 2:9

It is a promise for the everyday walk of my life--the walk of . . .
the soldier who pushes on, whatever enemies hinder his march;
the pilgrim from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City;
the child of God in company with his Father, the human hand linked in the divine.

Am I one of His saints? It seems to me often too high a title to claim. But let me remember that everything depends on what my heart is fixed upon.
The poet dreams about a masterpiece of music he is yet to write,
and the artist dreams about a surpassing picture he will paint one day,
and the sculptor dreams about a statue whose grandeur will draw all eyes.

What then, are my dreams? Are they about one day being . . .
completely liberated from sin,
and changed into the image of Christ,
and perfected in holiness?
Then I am among the saints!

And He will keep my feet. Not from . . .
the Valley of Humiliation,
or the Garden of Sorrow,
or the Hill of Cross-bearing.
No--but from . . .
the temptation that ensnares me,
the cliffs and precipices of sin,
"the delicate plain called Ease,"
the High Street of an overweening confidence in myself,
the gloomy mountain-ravines of anxiety and despair.
It is a welcome assurance indeed.

None less than God Himself, keeps these peril-beset feet of mine! He brings many protecting influences into play:
His precious promises,
His clear commandments,
the perfect example of Jesus,
the influence of those who fear His name,
the inner grace of His Holy Spirit.
Yes, yes; I walk safely--I walk at liberty--when the charge of my feet is with the all-loving, all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful redeemer-God!

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