“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.” Isaiah 41:13

Years ago in South Florida, a little boy went for a swim in the large pond behind his house.

His mother, looking out the back window, saw what his young eyes had missed: an alligator swimming on an intersecting course with her son. She ran toward him screaming. Quickly, he turned and started to swim toward his mom.

The mother and the alligator got to the boy at the same time.

The mother lunged and grabbed his arms as the gator grabbed his legs. The gator’s strength was met by a mother’s determination to not let her boy go.

To make a long story short, the boy, with terrible wounds, did manage to survive. Later that afternoon a news crew covering the story went to the hospital and visited the boy. One of the questions was “Can I see your wounds?”

The lad lifted the sheets to give the reporter a glimpse of his legs. Then the boy asked the reporter a question. The lad said, “Would you like to look at my arms. I have marks on my arms too.”

The boy showed off both of his black-and-blued forearms. With some pride in his voice he commented, “I’ve got these because my mother wouldn’t let me go.” That, my friends, is what a mother’s love can do.

Now, having seen that kind of love, each of us must stand in awe of the love of the Lord, which brought the Savior into this earth for the purpose of rescuing lost and condemned humanity.

Misunderstood and maligned, criticized and condemned, Jesus’ life ended on a Roman cross.

Unbelievably, but according to Old Testament prophecy — and Jesus’ own prediction — three days after the Savior’s lifeless body had been placed into a borrowed grave, He conquered death and showed to all the world He was alive.

And now, Jesus’ nail-pierced hands, which defeated death almost 2,000 years ago, are now dedicated to holding you.

Yes, the world will grab you, try to kill you, rip and scar you, but the living Lord Jesus will not let you go. He will hold you safe and secure in His all-powerful hands.

It’s a truth you can trust.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks that You have identified and conquered the powers which are dedicated to keeping me from You. Today, I ask that You will help me avoid all catastrophes from them and keep me always in the protection of Your gracious and saving hand. This I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Pastor Ken Klaus Lutheran Hour Ministries All rights reserved; not to be duplicated without permission.