“Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.” — Psalm 59:9
“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.” — Habakkuk 3:19
These two verses teach a powerful spiritual principle: the believer does not overcome by rushing ahead, but by waiting upon the strength of God. David speaks of waiting upon God because of His strength, not our own. Habakkuk shows the result — God gives the believer sure footing and elevation above the danger, like a deer standing securely on the high cliffs.
David was surrounded by enemies when he wrote Psalm 59. Yet instead of relying on his own ability, he waited on the Lord. Habakkuk looked at national collapse, famine, and uncertainty, yet he declared that God Himself would be his strength. The Christian life often places us in situations where our own strength fails. In those moments, God teaches us to wait. When we wait on Him, He lifts us to “high places” — places of spiritual stability, perspective, and victory. Waiting is not weakness. Waiting is dependence. And dependence brings divine strength.
Illustration #1 — David in the Wilderness
When Saul pursued David, David had several opportunities to kill him (1 Samuel 24:4–7; 26:9–11). Human logic would say, “End the threat.” But David waited upon God’s timing. He said: “The LORD shall smite him… or his day shall come to die… but the LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD’S anointed.” (1 Samuel 26:10–11). David waited on God’s strength rather than his own solution. Because he waited, God eventually placed him on the throne of Israel — his “high place.”
Illustration #2 — Paul’s Escape from Damascus
After Paul was saved, the Jews sought to kill him (Acts 9:23–25). “And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him… Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket.” Paul did not fight his enemies in his own strength. He trusted God for deliverance. The Lord preserved him, and that same man later stood before kings and carried the gospel across the Roman world. God gave Paul “hind’s feet” — the ability to stand in difficult places and continue the mission.
When enemies surround us, when ministry pressures rise, or when circumstances seem unstable — as you often experience in the work of the gospel — God teaches the same lesson: Wait on His strength. He will:
- Defend you (Psalm 59:9)
- Strengthen you (Habakkuk 3:19)
- Stabilize your steps (Psalm 18:33)
The Lord does not always remove the mountains, but He gives us feet to stand above them.