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When I was a little boy, I remember feeling safe and secure while holding my parent’s hands. When I became a parent myself, I reveled in every opportunity to grab hold of my own children’s hands whenever possible. I rejoice in the memories of little fingers clamping around my hand, and now as a grandfather, I do my best to carry forward this tradition with my grandchildren. I enjoy holding hands with my wife if we go for a walk or as we come together in prayer. It doesn’t matter how old you are, but when someone grabs your hand as an act of love and support, I believe we all feel a bit better about ourselves and the world around us.
At this juncture of my life, there are challenges that I face when a helping hand would be most welcome. This morning when I opened the Bible app on my phone, I was greeted with a verse of scripture that I would consider divinely timed. As an aside, have you ever found that in your faith walk with Jesus, just when you need it, the perfect Bible verse, worship song, or heavenly orchestrated blessing comes at you when you need it the most?
Here is the verse of the day as it appeared on my phone, a reminder to my heart and soul that when a helping hand is needed, the Lord is always there. 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.” (Isaiah 41:13 ESV)
I then tried to imagine the Lord holding my right hand, that I need not be filled with fear, or anxiety, or worry, that God is right beside me and promises to help me when the road ahead is layered with speed bumps and uneven pavement. Jesus is with you and me, my friend. He will hold our hand and guide us through everything we face if we allow him access to our hearts, our struggles, and our daily life.
As I read the above verse from Isaiah over a few times, I also remembered another verse from Isaiah 41, a powerhouse verse that ties into the verse of the day. Isaiah 41:10 is one of my favourite verses, and I’ll share it with you because I feel that the two verses go hand in hand, no pun intended: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (ESV)
The bottom line is this. Jesus tells us to fear not, to not be shaken when the ground beneath our feet trembles. Our Lord and Saviour, will give us strength to push through each storm we face, and He promises to hold our hand while doing so. All we need to do is reach out with open palms and allow the God of heaven to grab hold with his sinless right hand and then watch him fight each battle on our behalf.
The Lord is always with us, and that’s a fact. May He never let go!
Paul Smyth
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