Skip to main content

God Wants To Hold Your Hand!

Last week, I wrote about the possibility of entering into a friendship with God.  Moses and Job enjoyed a friendship with God so we know it’s possible.  We can also look at what the Psalmist said for further affirmation of this wonderful possibility:  “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.”  (Ps 25:14)

Katarina von Schlegel, who wrote the words for the hymn “Be Still My Soul” (translated by Jane L. Borthwick) referenced a friendship with God in this way:  “Be still, my soul!  Thy best, thy heavenly Friend.”  Could it be that God can also be a best friend? 

In regard to friendships, one of the ways that we demonstrate human friendship is by holding hands.  We hold hands to lead, protect, reassure, help, comfort, feel close, among other things.   

Did you know that God wants to hold your hand?  Well, perhaps not exactly in the sense as we know it, of flesh pressed against flesh, but nonetheless, He does want to.  See for yourself: 

For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”  (Isa 41:13)

For I am the Lord your God, the one who takes hold of your right hand, who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid, I am helping you.’

Even if he trips, he will not fall headlong, for the Lord holds his hand.  (Ps 37:24)

But I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.  Ps 73:23

Even there your hand would guide me, your right hand would grab hold of me.  (Ps 139:10

Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  (Matt 14:31)

God knows exactly when it would be good for Him to hold our hand and why we might need Him to.  We do, however, need to place our hand in His outstretched hand.  And whether He is holding our hand to help us, lead us, protect us, or comfort us, He is doing so because He loves us.

So, as strange as it may sound, God does want to hold our hand   So put your hand in His and enjoy it and appreciate it! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New Year Trash or Treasure?

You probably know the old saying:  “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.  I am not going to try to prove or disprove it, just look at it from a different angle. Cheryl and I were recently walking on a beach in Florida .  A man was walking along with a bag and was picking up trash and putting it in the bag.  Was he picking up things of value? We also saw a different man walking along the same beach with a metal detector.  He would swing it back and forth and would occasionally stop and dig in the sand.  Was he looking for things of value? Both were intent.  Both were focused.  Both were diligent. I’m guessing that the one picking up trash was not looking for things of value.  I’m also guessing that, by picking up trash, he was valuing the beauty of the beach and didn’t want the trash to mar it.  The one with the metal detector, I’m guessing that he was not looking for metallic items of trash but was looking for...

Don't Get Tripped Up

I do enjoy traveling and I keep an eye out for good prices. I also enjoy looking at trends in travel. For a while, the travel industry focused their advertising on taking those trips that might be on your bucket list.   That faded a bit and I started seeing ads about taking the trip of a lifetime. I guess both those campaigns have been waning since I’ve been seeing information about taking an “epic” trip.   Recently I noticed the phrase “unforgettable trip” in advertising.   More recently, I’ve been seeing promotions about taking “sustainable” trips and even “reconnecting to our roots” trips. As I’ve been pondering these advertising campaigns, I thought I’d consider what their ideas encompass and then look at them from a spiritual perspective: 1.   “ Bucket list trips ” are based on a list of the experiences a person might hope to have before they “kick the bucket” (i.e. die).   While I can certainly come up with a bucket list of trips, I’m thinking a bu...

Above My Pay Grade!

We like things that we can study, know and understand.  Sometimes we find it difficult to accept that there are things that might be hidden from our knowledge and understanding. The Scriptures indicate that there are some things hidden by design:  “The Lord our God keeps certain things hidden. But he makes other things known to us and to our children forever. He does it so we can obey all the words of this law.”  (Deut 29:29) Some versions of the Bible translate the hidden things as “secret things”.  Regardless, there are things which have been revealed and things which are kept hidden from us and remain secret. We may chafe at having to deal with the fact that some things remain hidden, but that’s often when faith and trust come in.  The Psalmist wrote:   “O Lord , my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.”  (Ps 131:1) The Psalmist seem to realize that th...