What a pleasure to hear devotional thoughts from Vicki Weimer this week! You can learn more about her on our contributors page.
Just walk in my footprints,” my husband said as we walked down the slick, snowy slope. Each Christmas, our family cuts down a tree. Unlike an American Christmas tree farm with perfectly pruned trees and marked pathways, this small forest in Hvalfjörður, Iceland, sits on a mountainside overlooking the frigid fjord.
The terrain has deep pits, mostly hidden by snow and ice. This Christmas gave us a particularly slippery trek, and due to a recent back injury, I have been using a cane. My sweet husband slogged down the mountain in front of me, testing each step to make sure that I would not step into a pit. Using my cane to help balance myself, I stepped into my husband’s deep footprints, making my way safely back to our vehicle. The Psalmist prayed, “Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not” (Psalm 17:5).
Jesus spoke similar words to Peter and Andrew: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:18-19 ). The brothers were expert fishermen there on the Sea of Galilee, but becoming fishers of men required a whole new job training. Thankfully, Jesus did not expect them to become expert fishers of men instantly. He charged them only with walking in His footsteps. When they followed Him, stepping in His footsteps, Jesus bore the responsibility of turning them into fishers of men.
How can someone walk in the footsteps of Jesus, though, without slipping? How can we follow Jesus to become fishers of men? Peter and Andrew could physically follow Jesus on earth. Since that is not an option for us, we have to determine how to follow Him. Again, in Psalms, we find a clue on how to step into His footprint. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).
I can imagine that God’s word is like a flashlight shining in the dark of winter onto the snow. I can see one footprint at a time in front of me, showing me how to follow the path. If we think of God’s Word as a light to show us the next step in following the footprints of Jesus without slipping, we can safely say that reading His word is how to follow Him. If reading His words shows us how to follow Him, then He can make us fishers of men when we step into His footprints.
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