The Strength You Need for the Mountain
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither [shall] fruit [be] in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and [there shall be] no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ [feet], and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. – Habakkuk 3:17-19 KJV
Theme
- The Place (the mountain)
- The Provision (the feet)
- The Power (the strength)
Introduction
Most of us spend our lives praying for meadow experiences.
- Smooth paths.
- Easy walking.
- Predictable seasons.
- Comfortable living.
Yet Scripture consistently reveals that God accomplishes His greatest work in the mountains.
- Moses met God on a mountain.
- Elijah heard His whisper on a mountain.
- Jesus was transfigured on a mountain.
- The Great Commission was given from a mountain.
- Even the cross stood upon a hill.
Perhaps we have been praying for the wrong terrain.
Perhaps God never intended His people to live primarily in the meadows.
Perhaps He created us for the mountains.
Habakkuk discovered exactly that.
I. God Calls His People to Live in the Mountains
“He makes me tread on my high places.” V19
This is fascinating language.
Habakkuk does not speak about escaping difficult places.
He speaks about walking confidently through them.
The mountain represents everything that appears intimidating.
- Steep.
- Dangerous.
- Demanding.
- Exposed.
The mountain requires more of us than the meadow ever could.
Mountains Develop Us
Nobody becomes stronger by walking level ground forever.
Strength develops because resistance exists.
- Muscles grow under resistance.
- Faith grows under resistance.
- Character grows under resistance.
God rarely develops mountain climbers in the meadow.
Throughout Scripture
Mountains consistently become places where God reveals Himself.
Not because mountains are magical.
But because mountains demand dependence.
The climb strips away self-sufficiency.
By the time someone reaches the summit, they know they did not arrive there by accident.
Application
Many believers spend their energy asking God to relocate them.
Instead…God often teaches us to climb.
The mountain you’ve been trying to avoid may actually be the place where God intends to reveal Himself most clearly.
II. God Supplies Us for the Terrain He Calls Us to Walk
Habakkuk paints one of Scripture’s bleakest pictures.
- No figs.
- No grapes.
- No olives.
- No harvest.
- No sheep.
- No cattle.
- Everything they normally depended upon has disappeared.
- Every visible source of provision is gone.
Yet Habakkuk never panics.
Why?
Because his confidence has shifted.
The Wrong Supply
Most of us naturally pray for…
- More grain.
- More resources.
- More certainty.
- More comfort.
- More visible answers.
Those things are wonderful gifts.
But they are not always God’s greatest provision.
God’s Better Supply
Instead of promising full barns…God promises capable feet.
The Lord doesn’t prepare the mountain. He prepares the climber.
The LORD God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ [feet], and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. – Habakkuk 3:19 KJV
The Ibex
- The ibex isn’t equipped for farmland.
- It is equipped for cliffs.
- Its greatest strength would actually seem unnecessary in a meadow.
- Its design only makes sense in the mountains.
Neither do many of God’s greatest gifts make sense until we arrive at difficult seasons.
- His peace…
- His endurance…
- His wisdom…
- His courage…
- His sustaining grace…
- These are mountain gifts.
Personal Reflection
Sometimes we pray…“Lord, fill my barns.”
God quietly responds…“I’m strengthening your feet.”
Because feet will carry you long after barns have emptied.
VirtualAmen
“God’s greatest provision is often not what surrounds us but what He develops within us.”
III. Properly Supplied People Become Strong People
Now Habakkuk reaches the climax.
“The Lord GOD is my strength.” v19
Notice the progression.
- The mountain remained.
- The famine remained.
- The uncertainty remained.
- Yet weakness disappeared.
Why?
Because strength was never found in the circumstances. Strength was found in the Supplier.
Praise Unlocks Perspective
One of the most remarkable words in this passage is “Yet.”
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. – Habakkuk 3:18 KJV
Habakkuk chooses praise before he experiences relief.
- That changes everything.
- Praise doesn’t deny reality.
- Praise declares a greater reality.
What Strength Looks Like
- Biblical strength is not always loud.
- It is not emotional bravado.
- It is not pretending everything is fine.
- Strength is quietly continuing to climb because God has supplied what the mountain requires.
Living Above the Predators
- The high places are dangerous. But they are also places predators rarely reach.
- The very place that appears most vulnerable becomes the safest place because God has equipped the climber.
- Some of the places you feared most may become the places where you experience God’s greatest protection.
The Result
- Habakkuk never says, “I understand everything.”
- He simply says, “The Lord is my strength.”
- Sometimes that is the highest level of faith.
Conclusion
Habakkuk began this book asking,
“Why?”
He ended it saying,
The LORD God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ [feet], and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. – Habakkuk 3:19 KJV
He learned that:
- God had called him to the mountain.
- God had supplied him for the mountain.
- God Himself had become his strength upon the mountain.
That is the testimony of every mature believer.