When my foot is slipping
by Coral Gallasch
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When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul (Psalm 94:18,19).
Have you ever felt your feet slipping? Perhaps you were walking in the garden and felt your shoes slipping on the loose gravel. Maybe you were hiking along a steep incline, and loose rocks rolled out from under your boots, causing you to stumble. How did that make you feel? Did you cry out like the psalmist, ‘My foot is slipping’? Think of the relief you felt as a hand reached out to steady you or your grasping hands clutched onto a handy tree branch.
I am reminded of when Tony and I spent five hours on the open sea in an old workboat with a 40-horsepower engine, travelling from Lae to Finschhafen in Papua New Guinea. The local ferry was out of action, and I needed to be in Heldsbach to do the planned kindergarten teachers workshops. As the size of the waves grew, I was filled with fear, anxiety and anger that we had put ourselves at such risk that we were no longer in control. Nothing we could do would keep us safe. As doubts plagued me, I was tempted to think that God was not calling me for this. Like the psalmist, I thought to myself, ‘My foot is slipping’.
But when we face times of crisis, God hears our prayers, reaching out in his love and mercy. As I slipped into anxiety and doubt, God’s love was already there, surrounding and supporting me. Joyful relief filled my heart with praise and thankfulness when we finally arrived.
Are you in a situation where your foot is slipping? Do your troubles seem bigger than any ocean? How will your day be different because you know that God supports you when your ‘foot slips’ and that his ‘loving consolation brings joy to your soul’?
Our faithful God holds us up in his unfailing love no matter where we are or what we do. He who suffered for us in Jesus’ death and triumphed in his resurrection is there with us through the many challenges in our lives. What a relief for us to know we are safe in God’s loving grasp, and we can continue along life’s path with joy and confidence.
Prayer: Pray for St Paul’s congregation and their partnership with the Heldsbach Kindergarten Project. Pray for Coral and Tony as they continue to support the kindergartens, the village women who teach the children, and PNG coordinators Pastor Walter Teunzac and Taningnao Zuhu. Thank God for his loving presence. Pray for his gifts of strength, courage and hope in your life.
Coral Gallasch is St Paul’s Hahndorf SA congregation, which partners with Heldsbach, Finschhafen, Papua New Guinea.
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