Make My Feet Firm Through You

You are not alone. At times, it may feel as if you are making choices and confronted by pain with no one there to ease the burden, or share the load. Certainly, the road is the long one. No one can tell where it may end. Yet, you are not alone. God is with you, at your side.

In the journey of life you will get lost. Disoriented.  It is all right. It is not a failure. This is how we learn, when confronted by challenges. To stop along the road and ask for directions is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of maturity. When we ask, we learn.

Others have been this way before. They too, had a companion. God knows the route. His Presence comforted them in their time of sorrow and pain.  The same Force will uphold you.  Allow God to help. Trust Him and His power. And do not forget to thank him.

A Story

Rabbi Yochanan said, “A man was walking along the road late at night. Suddenly, his lamp was blown out by a great gust of cold wind. He lit it again but it went out again. Finally he said to himself, “Why should I kill myself over this lantern? It is obvious that I will never be able to make the lamp stay lit. I will sit down right here by the road and wait for sunlight. When it comes I will try again.”

So it is with the Lord God. When it was His will to have B’nai Israel released from the evil grip of Pharaoh, he sent Moses, our teacher. And when we were exiled to the distant reaches of Babylon, He sent his servant Zurubabel. Mordecai saved us from Haman (may his name be blotted out for all time, Amen.)

So it was with the Maccabees and with every evil pall that has been cast over the Jewish people. The Holy One, blessed be He, heard the moans of His people. Enduring terrible pain the people turned to the rabbis who combed the ancient and holy texts. They found this prayer:

Lord, free us no longer through the intervention of man; we are weary of the endless cycle of enslavement, freedom and enslavement again.  Be our Redeemer, Lord, not a mortal man. Let no person lighten us but lighten us Yourself. As it is written, “For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.