How to Hold God's Handنموونە

Have you ever had someone in your life who you just cannot imagine living without? Have you ever felt so dependent on a person that even the thought of moving away from them makes us shudder? No one is with us forever. We are all “loaned” to each other for a season of our lives. Some arrive early, some arrive late, but people will always come and go. Life is fragile. Whether through tragedy or various circumstances, people will let go. It hurts when they do, or when we lose people.

We were created by a personal, intelligent, relational, all-wise God, who in our design and function built us to draw life and meaning from Him, from a relationship with Him, from doing life with Him. This means that we don’t draw value from people around us, but rather we go to the Author of life Himself! If we struggle to make decisions without consulting this one person in our life, if it causes us to shudder, if our life schedule is wrapped around this one person, we are in danger of idolizing this person.

We weren’t made for that. God designed us to find fulfillment and rest in Him. He has called us to be complete in Him. It would be folly, or unwise, if we choose to depend on people who are temporary rather than an eternal, all-knowing, all-loving God.

As we reflect on that, let’s see how we can hold God’s hand when others let go. King David is known for his relationship with God. He faced incredible opposition and losses. He also saw many blessings. Look at how he viewed his relationship with God.

He defined his life by who he belonged to: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). He enjoyed God’s care for his basic human needs: “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:2-3). He subscribed to God’s purpose for his life: “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” He faced life’s greatest challenges, uncertain loss, and hardships with this one assurance: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4). He looked to God for success and security: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5). He knew how to draw life and blessings from God’s presence: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6).

The call to all of us is to find our security, value, and rest in Him. Let Jesus be that person we build our lives around. He is the only one who died for our sins to save us. He has a plan and purpose for us.

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, we thank you, Lord, that you have sent Jesus to bring us back to you. We thank you that you give us meaning, you give us value, and you give us ultimate rest and fulfillment found only in you. Help us, Lord, to hold your hand as we go through life so that when others leave, we are not shaken and thrown into disarray. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.