How Did I Miss This?

 We are cleaning our trail runners, hiking boots and Tevas again, getting all the red trail dirt off. Removing the tiny stones that made their way into the tread of their soles.

December 2024, we traveled to Chile and Argentina to hike the small spine of the Andes Mountains that extends into the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. We had studied the unpredictable weather pattern of this summer month. Lots of rain, low misty clouds and even snow could make the rocks slippery and the trails muddy. While we have always felt sure-footed and our footwear is dependable, we weren't sure about the trails we had selected and hoped to hike in this new territory.

It was then that we got the idea to invite several friends to send us scriptures that related to "feet, agility, and balance." We did not want to stumble, fall or slip on the large boulders or steep climbs. In the front of my journal, I randomly recorded the scriptures received under a numbered day.   

Once we began our hiking days, I recorded a scripture connected to the numbered day from the front of my journal. Under Day 1, I had written Philippians 4:13 so I transferred that scripture to the top of my Day 1 journaling day and included it in our daily devotions.

God had known exactly which scripture would randomly be placed at the top of my journaling days. At the end of each day, we were amazed how perfectly that scripture given to us by friends had upheld us. 

One friend had given us Psalms 18:33, "He makes me sure-footed as a deer; he keeps me safe on the mountains." That day, we hiked two very different trails and God's promise had kept us sure-footed. 

Another friend had given us Proverbs 16:9, "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." On the evening of this day, we boarded a Busbud coach at 3:30P from Chile to arrive in Argentina at 8:30P. God certainly ordered our steps that time and our stops, too. Did He know we needed rest? Our bus arrived 3 hours later in Argentina at 11:30P. He had ordered our steps to include stopping. 

Today, August 2025, I re-read the scripture from Psalms 119:105, randomly read on December 11, 2024: "Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."  How did I miss this? I had not noticed the two prepositional phrases, "for my feet" and "on my path."  December 2024, we had hiked the Grey Glacier tundra toward a small island. We started very early, almost alone. Once atop the mountain, gale winds blew in, actually bringing a heavy, grey cloud cover. We needed light in order to see the trailhead leading  back to the tundra. The scripture that morning had promised He would highlight our path. The winds blew the low clouds, allowing strips of sunlight to escape and light our path. That is what God had done for us. He reminded us today in 2025 as we read this scripture how He had made it real in 2024. 

Perhaps you are on a trail or a path and you do not want to stumble, fall or slip. Maybe you are tired and you need to stop and rest. His Word is the lamp that lights and leads the way. That's a sure-footed promise! 

Keep Looking Up!

J:m and L:inda