We were nearing the end of a month when the sun had barely graced us with its presence, and the days had been long, damp, and gloomy. All this, combined with a virus I couldn’t shake and other circumstances, including my sister’s sudden passing, resulted in a period of grief and unsettledness that left me feeling insecure and anxious. Restrictions on my daily walks in the great outdoors did nothing to ease my sadness. Walking and talking with Jesus while hiking by the lake, camera in hand, has always been a way for me to decompress and be with God.

Finally, the day arrived when I could bundle up and head out to breathe the crisp air and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation.

Rounding a bend, I was delighted to see a pair of swans on the pond.

Suddenly, one of them drew up out of the water and spread its massive wings, and I was pleased to capture a succession of photos. The small circle of water in which they were floating was surrounded by ice. Suddenly, one bird decided it wanted to get up onto solid footing, but every single attempt it made resulted in the ice breaking away. It had not been cold enough for the ice to be substantially thick. The swan continued its efforts, and until the time I walked away, the bird had not succeeded in finding a firm place to stand.

I thought about how this illustration from nature can relate to life’s difficult challenges.

We can float down easy street, ignoring the heaviness of things that are piling up around us. Then suddenly, we may feel like we can’t find our way back to that feeling of security, that sense of the solid ground beneath our feet.

In my experience, the enemy loves to try to trip us up in our weakest moments. He preys on our vulnerability, diving in for the attack. As I sensed God speaking that day, I thanked Him for being my Rock, my firm place to stand, and my security.

Unbelievably, that evening as I opened the Word, Psalm 40, verses 1 and 2 were included in the reading for that day. This was another confirmation and affirmation that we have a God who cares for us in such a uniquely personal way. In the depths of our despair, if we wait patiently and cry out to God, then He, being such a faithful Father, hears us. He feels our anguish and meets our needs. Jesus is our solid and firm foundation; He is our Rock. In Him lies our security.

“I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” Psalm 40: 1-2

Susan Page is the daughter of the King, His beloved child, wonderfully forgiven and blessed! Susan longs to age gracefully, becoming more like Jesus as she seeks the hidden treasures revealed to her through Scripture, literature, the arts, humankind, and nature.