My mom graduated to heaven several years ago. The night before her funeral I was still struggling with not being able to see her just before she died. I looked for God’s footprints in all of it and couldn’t find them, even though I prayed and searched diligently.
That same night a terrific storm blew in, one that literally shook the house with loud thunderclaps and lightning bolts that lit up the room in Mom’s house where I was trying to sleep. When the storm finally calmed, I turned on a nearby lamp and grabbed my Bible on the stand. When I opened it, the pages fell to the book of Psalms. I began to read through chapter 77. As if highlighted by lightning, these were the words that especially spoke to me:
The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth. Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth tremble and quaked. Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen (Psalm 77: 17-19, NIV).
Where Are God’s Footprints?
Though heart healing is a process and takes time, God helped me understand some truths that have continued to give me strength. I re-read those verses some months later and journaled my thoughts into a semi-prayer. I realized you can’t always see God’s footprints, and unlike the famous Footprints poem, you might not even see your own. But you know God’s been there, just the same. In this personal prayer for you, here’s what He impressed on my heart about the truth in those verses:
My Personal Prayer for You
Lord,
Sometimes You lead us directly through the sea and mighty waters, like Moses and the Red Sea crossing and Joshua and the Jordan River, though Your footprints are never seen. We know it’s You making a way, not through an easy path, but by the one that will give You the most glory.
Don’t we all prefer the easy way? No sickness, no financial problems, no death, no trials, no problems, no obstacles. But when we trust You, Lord, You will make a path. You may not leave visible footprints. The water from the storm or the waves of the sea cover them up, but the invisible ones on our hearts can never be washed away. We remember them, as in Psalm 77:6, like “songs in the night.”
I can see that, Lord. How many times and how many songs have You written on my heart? Too many to count. I sing them often. And every one of them has “grace” in the title.
Thank You for Your invisible footprints, Lord, and for the path that You have planned–a path leading not to disaster, but to a future filled with hope:
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT).
Day-votedly Yours,
Rebecca
Has there been a time when God’s footprints seemed invisible to you? A time when you couldn’t see the path, much less His prints? How did He bring you through? What have you learned since then about God’s character?
You might enjoy this previous post I wrote regarding God’s plans and footprints. It’s one of my most popular blog posts: Five Simple Steps to Discover God’s Plans for You.
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