Yesterday, I woke up with this song on my heart:
As I travel through this pilgrim land,
There is a friend who walks with me.
Leads me safely through the sinking sand.
It is the Christ of Calvary.
This would be my prayer, dear Lord,
Each day to help me do the best I can
For I need thy Light to guide me day and night,
Blessed Jesus, hold my hand.
Holding hands with someone you love reveals a connection
between you. It is a symbol of love, of caring, of trust. It’s saying, “I’m his and he’s mine.” When parents hold hands with their children, it also is a symbol of strength, protection, guidance, and safety. Have you ever been walking with someone, holding their hand, and something catches your eye, so you let go of their hand to walk over to that “something” that got your attention? The person you were walking with is looking around wondering what
just happened and where you went. I’ve been the one to let go, and I’ve been the one standing around wondering what happened.
That’s how we do Jesus sometimes. He will never be the one to let go of my hand, but there have been plenty of times that I’ve let go of His to go look at what caught my eye … or to take care of something that needed my attention … etc. Sometimes it may be as in that we have been tempted with, or it may just simply be things we are doing—even things we are doing for His kingdom—that grab our attention … things that begin to take priority over our relationship with Him. We let go of His hand. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we have forsaken Him or turned our backs on our faith but that we have simply lost the connection we had with Him while we were holding hands and walking closely together.
If you realize today that you let go of His hand, take comfort in knowing that He is standing right there, where you became distracted, just waiting for you to cry out, “Jesus, hold my hand.” When we put our hand back in His hand, we regain that connection, and we have someone who will guide us, protect us, and love us and someone in whom we can place our complete trust.
For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand,saying unto thee, Fear not: I will help thee.
(Isaiah 41:13)
I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give
thee for a covenant of the people for a light of the Gentiles. (Isaiah 42:6)
Like what you’ve read? Read more like this when you order a signed copy of the devotional, Reflections of God’s Grace below.
