Sunday, February 21, 2010

Let me see thy footmarks, and in them plant my own.

Nikon F100, Nikkor 28-105 D, Ilford HP5 plus (ISO 400) (click to enlarge)

The title of this post is from the first lines of the last verse of that great hymn of commitment "O Jesus I have promised." The verse goes:
Oh, let me see Thy footmarks,
And in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly
Is in Thy strength alone.
Oh, guide me, call me, draw me,
Uphold me to the end;
And then to rest receive me,
My Saviour and my Friend.
We sung it in church yesterday and it went very well as an accompanyment to the reading (Jesus' temptation in the wilderness from Luke 4). I love the powerful imagery of looking for the Lord's footprints and putting my own inside them. I remember as a child trying to put my feet into my father's footprints in the sand at the seashore. The strides were just too big and so each one was an enourmous leap. Eventually though as one grows up it becomes easier to follow.

Same with following Jesus I suppose, sometimes the strides needed seem impossibly large, but then with time (and of course His help) it becomes less difficult.

2 comments:

Joc Sanders said...

Thanks for the lovely photo and thoughtful words, Daniel. I love the imagery of walking in others' footsteps. We may find Jesus' footsteps impossibly big - but we also walk in the footsteps of those who have tried to walk in his before us. Are we inclined to undervalue the tradition of the church these days, do you think?

Daniel & Sonja said...

Thank you Joc very much. Yes you're probably right about undervaluing the tradition of the church - I think younger people in particular (but not exclusively) find the cultural barrier often too difficult to cross...