Hind’s Feet on High Places is a book written in 1955 by Hannah Hurnard, an English missionary and author. It is a modern Christian allegory that was written similarly to the Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan in 1678, but with a female main character named Much-Afraid.
In this story, we get to watch Much-Afraid journey from her genuine but frail faith in the Chief Shepherd into the high places, in which she finally understands the struggles, the disappointments, and the hard places she’s had to go through in order to grow her into the strong woman of faith she becomes. She is guided by her two companions, Sorrow and Suffering, who are used by the Chief Shepherd to help her, teach her, and grow her.
Many people misunderstand the high places to be heaven. Even Much-Afraid mistakes the journey for a permanent relocation for most of her travels. The high places are still part of the earthly experience, but it’s the part where one is walking the closest with the Lord and being transformed before being sent back down into the valley to serve others – something most of us are not adequately equipped to do before experiencing the high places.
The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hind’s feet and He will make me to walk upon mine high places.
Habakkuk 3:19
You might be wondering (as I did) “what is a hind, anyway?” It’s a word we don’t usually use anymore, but a hind is an old name for a female deer; a “hart” is known as a male deer.
Like in Bunyan’s Progress, the characters throughout Hind’s Feet are named for their most prominent trait: she’s a member of the family of Fearings, which also includes other members who have a negative influence on her, such as her Aunt, Mrs. Dismal Forebodings and her ruthless cousin who pursues her to trap her into marriage, Craven Fear. The Chief Shepherd is Jesus Christ, the One whom her heart loves, and He is accompanied by Suffering and Sorrow, who He gives to her as companions on her journey.
As this is an allegory, the elements represent places and experiences that most of us have gone through (or will) – hence the reason for her companions. As a believer, if you haven’t known them yet, you likely will. But what is refreshing to ultimately see (which she could not see for a long time) are the reasons why these were good companions to her (and to us) on this journey, and how their friendship eventually led her to the place she longed to be.
From the “Invitation to the High Places” to the “Return to the Valley”, there are 20 chapters in all. It’s going to take me a while to move through them, as I will be reading this classic for the third time as I share with you.
Like Much-Afraid, I have had sorrow and suffering as close companions along the way, and I’d be delighted if you wanted to come along for a bit on this walk with me, too. If you’re not much about reading the entire book, maybe you’ll either be inspired to, or at the very least, benefit from whatever limited insights I can give that I’ve learned so far.
I want to record my contemplations as I go through this story one more time. As I’ve mentioned before, I gain so much more when I’ve written about something I’ve learned, but I also want to leave these words for my kids who will one day only have my words and their memories of me.
Hopefully, that’s a long way away, but in the meantime, I’d love to have you join me.
I’ll place links below to each of the posts as they are written to make them easier to find:
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