When the Mountain Won’t Move
A devotional by Kim McGovern
“The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”—Habakkuk 3:19 (NIV)
Are you so worn down that facing one more battle feels impossible?
Grief and endless demands can leave us staring at the ceiling at night, whispering into the dark, “I can't do this anymore.”
I carried that ache into a women’s retreat in the Colorado mountains, hoping the change of scenery might thaw my ice-cold, weary soul. But my grief felt as ancient and unyielding as the peaks around me—frozen beyond tears, untouched by the warmth I had come seeking.
On the first evening of the retreat, as voices rose in worship, I lifted my hands, not in adoration, but in surrender. My shoulders sagged under the weight of unanswered prayers as I begged God to break the hardened ground of my soul.
He met me there, not with spectacle but with a whisper strong enough to crack the ice within: “Daughter, I am fighting for you.” Not “I will fight.” Not “I fought.” But “I am fighting” at this very moment.
But how do you keep believing that God is fighting for you when everything in front of you still says otherwise?
The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk wrestled with that same question. Violence and injustice ran through his own nation, and God seemed to do nothing to stop it. So, Habakkuk dared to say the words most of us keep locked inside: “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” (Habakkuk 1:2, NIV).
God’s answer unsettled Habakkuk. Judgment would come to God’s people through a violent foreign army soon to sweep across the land. Still, he did not walk away. Habakkuk chose to watch, wait, and stay in conversation with God until hope stirred again.
God did not remove the threat or shorten the long wait ahead for His people. The danger still loomed on the horizon, and nothing in front of Habakkuk had changed. Yet neither had God's promise that “the righteous person will live by his faithfulness” (Habakkuk 2:4, NIV). He called Habakkuk to trust Him in the middle of it, and as the prophet kept bringing his fears and questions to God, trust slowly took root again.
By the end of his prayer, Habakkuk envisioned trust not as escape from the climb but as strength to keep walking, like a deer steady on rocky heights. The Bible says in Habakkuk 3:19 (NIV), “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.” God does not always move the mountain in front of us—but He does give us deer’s feet to climb it.
Maybe your mountain won't move either. Grief lingers. The marriage hangs by a thread. Responsibilities crush you, and loneliness refuses to lift. You have prayed, you have worshiped, you have poured out your heart—and still the path stretches steep and unrelenting before you. Take heart, friend. The same God who steadied Habakkuk and met me in my own dark night, walks with you now. He doesn’t ask you to be strong enough; He gives strength for each step, just enough for today, and then the next.
Our strength begins where Jesus Christ won our victory. At the cross, He climbed the steepest mountain we never could, bearing the full weight of our sin and death. And because He conquered that ultimate summit, rising from the grave on the third day, He now gives us sure feet for every climb we will ever face.
We are not promised that every earthly battle will turn out the way we hope, but in Christ we hold an eternal victory that cannot be taken from us. Nothing can separate us from Him—no failure, no heartbreak, not even the deepest grief. What Jesus completed on the cross holds firm forever.
The mountains still stood outside my window the next morning, as did many of the burdens I had carried into the retreat. But something within me had begun to shift. The ice around my heart was cracking. For the first time in a year, tears flowed freely as God began to thaw the frozen places within me. My circumstances had not changed, but I had. I left knowing I was no longer facing the climb alone.
Your mountain may not move today. But the Sovereign Lord is your strength. He gives you deer’s feet to take the next step when the path feels impossible.
Let's Pray:
Heavenly Father,
When grief lingers, prayers seem unanswered, and the mountain before us remains unmoved, remind us that You have not abandoned us. Thank You that in Jesus, the victory has already been won—one we would never achieve on our own. Help us trust You in the waiting and find our strength in You as we take the next step in faith. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Song of Reflection #1: “Trust in You” by Lauren Daigle. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #2: “Into the Sea (It’s Gonna Be Ok)” by Tasha Layton. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #3: “Worn” by Tenth Avenue North. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #4: “Battles” by The Afters. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #5: “Fighting for Me” by Riley Clemmons. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #6: “Victory Belongs to Jesus” by Todd Dulaney. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #7: “Move Another Mountain” by Helen Baylor. Listen to it here.
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Author Bio:
Kim McGovern is passionate about helping women reorient their hearts to the uninterruptible love of Jesus Christ.
A former IT professional turned writer, she meets women in the messy middle of faith—where grief, joy, doubt, and hope often collide. Her work draws from decades of ministry leadership, special needs advocacy, and personal seasons of surrender that deepened her dependence on God's presence.
Kim's writing has been featured by Proverbs 31 Ministries, Encouragement for Today, Joyful Life Magazine, (in)courage ministries, Truly Magazine, and numerous other faith-based publications.
She and her husband savor the quiet rhythms of life on Florida's west coast in Homosassa, where the river serves as their backyard playground. They have four grown children and grandchildren who daily remind them that the best stories are still being written by God's grace.
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Connect with Kim:
Website: https://kimmcgovern.com/
Substack: https://kimmcgovern.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_kim.mcgovern/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimEMcGovern/
