“He makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to climb on mountain heights.”
Those words echoed through my head as I watched my daughter Faith take photos of a beautiful Rocky Mountain goat at 14,000 feet in Colorado.
We live at 14 feet elevation on the Texas Coast, so being 1,000 times higher is like stepping into another world, a place of stunning beauty and unlimited possibility.
Sixteen years ago, we got word about an opportunity to adopt a little girl who at age two couldn’t walk or talk and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. I felt this was the child we had prayed for but I needed confirmation.
So, I did what all great spiritual people do (not)-I played Bible roulette.
I walked over to my Bible and picked it up.
“Lord, you know me. I am hard headed and sometimes cannot see things the way you want me to see them. I am on faith going to open up this Bible and believe the page I land on is the place that will give me confirmation this is our girl or is not. I do not need a cryptic answer but a direct one Lord.”
With some apprehension, I sort of flipped the Bible open and flung it down on my table.
At first I thought it landed on a blank page but I quickly realized it was on a page with only one verse and it was the very end of the book.
“Yahweh, the Lord, is my strength. He makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to climb mountain heights.”
I was stunned.
I read those words from Habakkuk 3:19 over and over as tears rolled down my face and I felt the presence of the Lord in an incredibly profound, powerful way. This was not some distant God who sat on a throne and handed out decrees and judgements but one who descended down to my home and gave me a powerful word and ultimate confirmation of what would be a destiny-changing event for our family and a special little girl.
I knew she would walk. I knew she would talk. And I know God had special things to be done through her.
In a stunning way just two weeks after our adoption was completed, Dodie Osteen the Matriarch of Lakewood Church in Houston laid hands on Faith and declared she would walk in the name of Christ.
The next morning she stood up and walked.
And she moved like she had been mobile for months!
Over the years we have faced many challenges, especially emotional ones. There were times it looked like the full promise of “mountain heights” might not happen.
There were times I cried myself to sleep seeing the challenges she was going through at a young age.
There were times me and my wife Lisa were frustrated and exhausted but we had a promise and we stood on it.
We prayed that promise through and stood on God’s word that this precious child would climb on mountain heights physically, mentally and spiritually.
As she turned back to me on Mount Blue Sky I snapped back into the present and could see her beaming with pride.
“Dad, I got a really good picture. Look!”
This was in the cell phone photography category and thankfully this one mountain goat was in a perfect position, in good light and Faith has a great eye for composition and capturing little moments.
“Look at this one. It looks like he’s talking to me.”
That photo was entered into a national fine arts competition for Assemblies of God churches around the nation. Both her cell and digital photo (of an elk) earned her an invite to national competition in Columbus, OH.
In front of 15,000 people at Nationwide Arena, Faith learned that her mountain goat photo not only received a “superior” rating but earned her the top photo and the prestigious “Award of Merit”.
Out of a possible three judge rating of 120, she earned 119 points, which is super rare in these competitions.
Faith is not the most emotional young lady but she broke down and cried when she heard the announcement and received the support of her fellow Community Church (C-Student) youth group members. It was a huge moment for her and for our family.
A child that wasn’t supposed to walk or talk, was in front of thousands of people taking home a serious award for a photo she took at 14,000 feet in Colorado.
That certainly qualifies as “mountain heights” to the literal zenith of its meaning.
And it was an important moment for us as a family for another reason. She won for wildlife photography and as a family of dedicated wildlife conservationists, this was special.
We love mountain goats and are members of the Rocky Mountain Goat Alliance, a group dedicated to their conservation. And we are members of the Wild Sheep Foundation and Texas Bighorn Society, groups dedicated to wild sheep which we also photographed on that same mountain on that trip.
If you believe God gives you a word-stand on it. Pray on it. Fast on it. Never give up.
This is especially true when it comes to promises for our children. Even children in the most loving, well-balanced homes face an onslaught of darkness in our culture.
We believe standing on God’s word and the promises purchased through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Faith Moore made me very proud with her awesome photo and winning at such a high level.
But more importantly, she’s made me proud because of who she is and doing her part to work hard and trust in God to overcome the obstacles she has faced.
We look forward to seeing what great things come through her in the future and remain in awe of what the Lord brought into our lives 16-years ago.
It wasn’t just a daughter but it was hope and a promise.
A beautiful promise.
Chester Moore (Better known these days as Faith’s Dad!)
Chester Moore
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