These peril-beset feet of mine!

(Alexander Smellie, "The Hour of Silence" 1899)  LISTEN to audio!  Download audio

"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!