By Ansley Zecckine
Published on December 5, 2007
The poem entitled, “Footprints in the Sand” probably brings to mind the picture of a single set of footprints going off into the distance along a beautiful beach sunset. Recall the reply that God gave in the story when he said,
“My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
There’s some measure of truth intertwined within this poem, but the Bible takes it even a step further. Psalm 139:17-18 says, “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.”
God’s thoughts toward us outnumber the sand, and these thoughts aren’t just thoughts about us, they’re thoughts for us and not against us. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
I’d like to take this moment to let everyone know that I’m not perfect, nor have I ever been perfect (yes, it’s true). If I was perfect, then why would I need God? It’s a comfort to know that God isn’t laid back in his La-Z-Boy Auto-Recline 9000 waiting to zap me every moment that I mess up; God is here with me no matter what, just as the Bible shows in Psalm 139.
During any moment in which I feel like I’m all alone, walking by myself along a long beach, watching the storm as it comes ashore, I still know that God has a plan, and the grains of sand all around me are a reminder of all the goodness he has in store for me. I am not alone, and I do not have to “feel” as though I am, and neither do you.