“For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the one who helps you.’” Isaiah 41:13
In the midst of the storm, trust…
When I was a little girl, I remember how much I loved holding my mom’s hand. There was a sense of safety and comfort that came from being near her, and when she held my hand, I knew that she loved me. Whether crossing the street or walking through the grocery store, my hand in hers never failed to calm and quiet me. As I grew, though, it became less and less appropriate for me to walk hand in hand with my mom. I mean, what would my friends think? I would look foolish to them. Plus, I was an independent girl, ready to take on the world. I loved my mom dearly, but I didn’t need to hold her hand through life anymore. I could make it on my own.
Somewhere along the way, this mentality bled over into my spiritual life. I was raised to believe in God, to love Him, and to follow Him. Still, there came a time when I began to believe the lie that I didn’t need to depend on Him for everything, to lean on Him always, to trust Him every step of the way. I could do much of life on my own, and when I was in need, then I’d turn to Him. Holding His hand seemed a strange, foreign concept to me. I didn’t believe that I was trusting in Him any less, I just failed to see my desperate need for Him…until desperation became my reality.
Unfortunately, my story is all too common. Perhaps yours is similar. You were walking along, doing just fine with God as an pretty ornament in your life, and then BAM! A boulder drops on your life bringing you to your knees fast. The storm is raging all around you. The waves are ready to overcome you. And in the midst of the storm, God extends His hand to you. In His compassion and love, He pulls you back to Himself. And it is trust that causes us to receive His extended hand. It is trust in Him that takes our eyes off of the storm around us and focuses on just Him. The Lord, your God is extending His hand to you now. Trust Him in your storm. Reach out and grab His healing hand. For in His hand is the best place to be.
1. Where do you feel most safe? Where do you run to when the storms of life rage?
2. Read Isaiah 41:10. How can trusting God and walking hand-in-hand with Him become your present reality?
3. Journal a prayer of response to God’s Word today. Thank Him for extending His hand to you now in the midst of your storm. Ask Him to increase your trust in Him.
“I could do much of life on my own, and when I was in need, then I’d turn to Him. Holding His hand seemed a strange, foreign concept to me. I didn’t believe that I was trusting in Him any less, I just failed to see my desperate need for Him…until desperation became my reality.”–how easy it is for me to fall into this. I have a very high capacity to jump right in and “do life” on my own. You are so right…then the “BAM” comes and how painful and hard it is and the loving reminder through it that He is there wanting to hold my hand through it. It is the fear that keeps me from holding His hand…afraid that His plan might not turn out the way I want it to, etc. Yet He waits and He is good and His plan is always better than mine. When I surrender to this and allow Him to take over is when that rest comes that you talked about yesterday. How I long for that rest, yet I press against it at the same time.