Holding Father’s Hand

Holding Father’s Hand

When Steve was a young boy, his father would regularly take him to do his weekend tasks, usually involving a number of stops in the downtown area of the small steel town in western Pennsylvania where Steve grew up. Traffic in their small town was hardly a problem. Nevertheless, as a young boy, he never crossed a street without holding his father’s hand. Every time they stood together on the curb, his father would extend his arm towards Steve, waiting for Steve to take his hand before they crossed to the other side. He didn't need to know where his Dad was headed or what they were going to do when we got there. His Dad knew. Steve's job was simply to take his father's hand before they crossed and hold onto it until they safely reached the other side. That’s all he had to do, such a simple action, but such a vivid, enduring picture in Steve's mind. Doesn't it make sense that in every decision we make and every direction we take, our first step ought to be to take hold of God’s outstretched hand? Over the last few years, a Scripture that has become especially meaningful to me is Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV), where God says: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” As I compared this passage to similar verses, I discovered one striking truth. Almost without fail, whenever the Lord tells us to call to Him, His next words are, “. . . and I will answer you.” When we are facing a question of guidance or direction, what should be our first step? To reach out actively to God’s extended hand and take hold of it. That action takes the form of calling upon the Lord as a first priority, assuring Him we will hold on to Him through the process. The second point I have appreciated in this passage concerns what the Lord promises to show us. There are matters we simply will not know unless our hand is in His. Those matters are “inaccessible” to us under normal circumstances. With our hand in His, they become clear to us. We may not always know where we are headed or what we are to do. He knows. Our job is simply to hold on to His hand as He leads us “across the street.

Father; You know the decisions I am facing right now. I want to follow only Your guidance and direction for my life, and I certainly don’t have any desire to “go it alone” or to move ahead of Your timing. By a deliberate act of my will, I call to You now. Lord, I thank You that You hear me as I call. I see Your hand extended to me, and I deliberately place my hand in Yours. Father, I will hold on to Your hand as You lead me and guide me in the days ahead. I trust You, Father. And I thank You that You will show me great and mighty things which I don’t presently understand. My hand is in Yours from this point onward. Amen.