Who is holding your hand?

The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.

Psalm 37:23-24

            I do a lot of hand-holding. In parking lots, in crowded stores, on busy streets. Because of his Asperger’s, my son Benjamin is not always completely aware of his surroundings. While his feet guide him through the Walmart parking lot towards the store, his brain is usually off somewhere, in a world of his own.

As a result, I have to hold his hand so I can yank him back to safety if a car backs out of its parking space without seeing him. While my eyes are scanning all the tail lights for signs of a car backing up, Benjamin is recreating a scene from the Alamo in his mind, or visualizing part of a movie. My job, as his mother, is to protect him.

God does the same for us. Psalm 33:18 tells us that “the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him.” Psalm 32:8 promises that God keeps His eye upon us. There are many other such verses throughout the Bible that assure us of God’s constant care. He’s watching us, watching out for us and watching over us. I believe when we get to heaven, we’ll realize how many times God was “watching our backs” and we never even realized it.

The greatness of God lies not only in the fact that He created a vast, infinite and complex universe, but in the fact that He also watches over each one of His creations with the love of a father for his child. He doesn’t just watch us from afar, He reaches down and gently wraps His nail-scarred hand around our small, frail ones.

In Psalm 37:24, David states that there will be times when we fall. God does not remove all the obstacles that might make us trip or stumble. He does not pick us up and carry us over the hard parts. But He does hold our hand, so that we will not be hurled headlong. I like to picture a father, holding his child’s hand as he learns to walk. The toddler stumbles, but his father doesn’t let go. Instead, he gently pulls the child back upright so he’s back on his feet, and they continue on their way, together.

Do you know who is holding your hand? If you do, do you trust your heavenly father to keep you from being hurled headlong? Do you trust His loving care? God loves you and He wants to walk with you, each and every day, through the good times and the bad times. Come to Him and let Him wrap His big, strong hand around yours. He’ll never let you fall.

About the author:

I am the daughter of TEAM missionaries (The Evangelical Alliance Mission). I was raised in France, attended French schools, obtained my French Baccalaureate then attended Emmaus Bible College in Switzerland where I graduated with a degree in Bible and Theology.

I now live in the Missouri Ozarks with my husband Len and my three sons, one of whom has been diagnosed with Asperger’s.

I am a member of the Ozarks’ Chapter of American Christian Writers and a founding member of the Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild.