Why I’m asking you to hold God’s hand
“I am the LORD, I have you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, to light the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.” —Isaiah 42:6-7
The image of a father holding his little child’s hand is precious. Photographers do well when they capture the diversity of both hands. One hand is defined with angles, agility, age, and ability. Maybe a fine scar or a callous or two comes through the lens filter. Quite the opposite, the other hand is a chubby little thing—gelatinous, jellylike, soft and subtle.
Take a moment and remember the feeling of the first time you held the hand of your spouse or significant other when you knew the relationship was on the threshold of moving from Something Special to love. As you think on this, your lips should be pulling a little bit at each corner because that time—that instant—was sweet. It was important. The aimless or intentional brush of your fingers against theirs made you feel who you were. That same touch made you feel who they were, too.
That connection did one more thing. It made you aware of a “we.” You were no longer a single entity; you were connected to the one whose fingers laced with yours.
Extend the handholding from a toddler to a lover to God. Despite the thought that, at least for some of us “this just seems a little weird,” I invite to you imagine holding the hand of God.
One of the first things you may think of is how incredibly small your hand is, how, like a newborn or toddler, it can do so very, very little compared to the hand with yours. That’s a good thing. It’s showing you in a physical way how big, how capable, and how powerful He truly is.
Our scripture says that in righteousness (and the Hebrew word here comes close to the word justice), God has taken you by the hand. He has kept you. Through His covenant, God has also enabled something to happen in the “we” moment you’re having with God: He is empowering you to light nations, open eyes that are blind, and bring out prisoners who sit in darkness.
The nation you light today may well be our own, dear American. The eyes you open today may belong to someone who can’t see where they are going, or are blind to a problem that needs God’s presence through you. (Just show up. God will know how to use you.)
And you may not literally see a prisoner today, but someone you encounter may have something locked away that, through love—and a little hand holding—needs to be released into the light.
God is holding your hand. Right now. In this very moment. Feel it.
And then share that feeling, that love.
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PRAYER: It is kinda weird to think of You holding my hand, oh God. Then again, it’s actually one of the best things going. In Your touch, I experience three things: You, me, and us.
Help me help others in this gift You’ve given me.
Amen.
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