Hinds Feet on High Places Summary and Thoughts - Chapter 3
Chapter 3 Summary
In chapter three, Much-Afraid awakes in the night to a throbbing pain where the seed of Love was planted in her heart. She had the sense that the pain was trying to tell her something and then finally remembered that she didn’t answer the Shepherd’s call when he came by her cottage the day before. Much-Afraid begins to fear that the Great Shepherd assumed she didn’t want to come on the journey with Him and left without her. She feels the pain of the seed of Love that he planted in her heart, and decides to look for him where the flock of sheep are resting for the night but he is not there, so she walks as fast as she can to the trysting place and finds the Great Shepherd waiting for her. The Great Shepherd explains to Much-Afraid that he came by her cottage the day before so that he could tell her that they would meet at the trysting place this morning to leave. Much-Afraid tells the Shepherd that she will go with him wherever he leads and they started their journey to the mountains.
Chapter 3 Thoughts:
The seed of Love, or thorn, is what stands out to me the most in this chapter. This seed that the Great Shepherd planted in her heart and warned her would have love and pain mingled together for a while, gave her the first experience of that pain when she awoke in the night. This makes me think that she may have convinced herself that it was better off if she didn’t try to make the journey with the Shepherd if it wasn’t for the seed of Love planted in her heart. Because of that seed of Love, that thorn that awoke her with pain in her heart, she couldn’t stand to let Him think she didn’t want to make the journey and she couldn’t rest until she found Him and told him that. The most powerful sentence for me in this chapter was this…
“A hundred Craven Fears lurking in the lonely street could not have deterred her at that moment, for the pain in her heart swallowed up fear and everything else and drove her forth.” (p.18)
Much-Afraid was fearful of the pain that seed in her heart might cause, but it was the pain she felt, because of her love for the Shepherd, that spurred her into action and helped her overcome her fears. She felt like her heart would break and her only option was to find the Shepherd. The urgency she felt even caused her to almost forget that she was lame as she hurried to find him. And then she found Him and her heart sang with joy.
Is there a fear that is preventing you from running to Jesus? Take some time to pray about that with Jesus and ask for his help.
I am excited to continue following along on Much-Afraid’s journey with you and I hope it is as encouraging to you as it is to me. I would love to hear what stood out to you as you read or listened to this chapter if you have the time to comment below or send a message.
-Nadine
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18
