When my son Zach was small, he loved for me to hold his hand. Often it would simply be out of the sheer joy of having his dad close to him. He would wrap his little chubby hand around my finger, and away we would go. Other times, when I sensed that I needed to hold on to him, I would wrap my hand all the way around his hand and wrist, and squeeze tight. Love…joy…security…safety – all wrapped up in his hand in mine.
I love the picture illustrated by Isaiah - “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, (insert your name there) whose right hand I have grasped” (Isaiah 45:1 ESV). The Hebrew word for grasped, “Chazaq” literally means “to be bound fast, both in the significance of adhesion and strength” (Strong’s Concordance). God was saying that when your hand is in His, a strong, fast, bond is formed between the two.
As our children grow into those teen years, things change. Our kids become increasingly independent, and socially they might be a little embarrassed to be seen walking hand-in-hand with dad.
Sadly, we often become so independent in our Christian journey that, for any number of reasons, we don’t let our Heavenly Father hold our hand. More often than not, I believe it is a part of what John was talking about when he writes to the Church in Ephesus, “…you have abandoned the love that you had at first” (Revelation 2:4)
This Church had been “enduring patiently…bearing up for His name…not growing weary” (Revelation 2:3) but even after all of those “good works”, God was more interested in whether or not they loved Him – whether they were still dependent on Him. Perhaps they simply needed to slow down and let God take them by the hand.
When life is good, that’s a great time to wrap your hand around your Heavenly Father’s finger and enjoy the journey. When life is tough…when the wheels are coming off… that’s the time to reflect on these verses, and let His strong, mighty hand grasp your hand:
Don’t let the cares of the world rob you of your dependence on Him, or your strength in Him. In the good times…hold His hand. In the hard times…let Him grasp your hand.
It just might turn your life around.
