In last week’s article we looked at the marvelous structure of a person’s foot with its 26 bones, as well as tendons, ligaments, nerves and blood vessels.
Your feet, which you may have just taken for granted, are one of the outstanding features of your body. No machine designed by the most clever engineer could, for its size, match the human foot for its ability to move your body about and hold up the amount of weight put on it. The only way we can grasp at all how it can work so marvelously is to admit that God, the Creator, has provided its wonderful design.
Its job is not only to enable you to walk around, but to run, jump, kick and stand still when necessary. If you weigh around 100 pounds, then the pressure on each foot when you run fast will be equal to about 500 pounds, and a man weighing 175 pounds will have a running pressure of 1000 pounds or more. Just think also how a healthy foot can take the terrific impact of a soccer or football player giving a forceful kick to it!
You may be resting when just standing still, but the foot has work to do even then that you don’t think about. At such times messages fly back and forth from your brain to each foot in order to keep you steady and in balance—subconsciously tightening a muscle, moving your big toe, the ankle bone, the heel, the sole of your foot and other parts, all handling their part in the messages that come through the amazing nervous system the Creator has given your body. Thus you keep your balance without even knowing all this is going on. But that’s why, if a person faints while standing, he will immediately fall over. The body parts can’t communicate with each other at such a time.
The Bible tells us of this, stating, “But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him. . . . There should be no schism [division] in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another” (1 Corinthians 12:18-2518But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. 19And if they were all one member, where were the body? 20But now are they many members, yet but one body. 21And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. 22Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: 23And those members of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. 24For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked: 25That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. (1 Corinthians 12:18‑25)). Isn’t that a wonderful thing?
So we see a little of how important this part of the body is and the wisdom of taking care of these feet, so valuable to us. Let us remember, too, that the Lord Jesus is constantly watching our walk: “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:33The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. (Proverbs 15:3)). And when we are aware of mistakes we have made, our prayer should be like that of the psalmist: “When I said, My foot slippeth; Thy mercy, O Lord, held me up” (Psalm 94:1818When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. (Psalm 94:18)). Yes, He will always put us back on solid ground when we confess our sins to Him.
ML-07/26/1998