Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Holding On (Joe Widick)

Good evening! Lord willing, I am two weeks into my trip to Vietnam! Tonight's entry is again from my former colleague/boss/elder/friend/brother in Christ, Joe Widick of Lebanon, Tennessee. Joe often fills in for me while I am out of the country! Keep me in your prayers!

Baby girls and boys, grow into little girls and boys and before you realize it, you have teenagers.  Where does the time go?  Our youngest granddaughter, Josie is no longer a baby; she is a little girl who acts all grown-up.  Elaine and I didn’t see Josie very much while she lived in Houston.  Things have changed now that they are in Nashville.  We are readily available for babysitting (tough job but someone has to do it).   Last week we had the opportunity to keep her while her parents went out on a date night.  When we arrived she was in her room upstairs taking a nap.  When we went to upstairs to get her, she was excited to see us.  Because she is no longer a baby, she wanted to walk down the steps by herself.  I thought this meant not carrying her in my arms so I proceeded to go down the steps by myself.  “Granddaddy, you got to hold my hand!”  Disappointment in not carrying her changed to joy as she held tightly to my hand. 

I know her parents have told her to hold on to someone’s hand when you go down the steps.  They want her to be safe and secure.  I believe that God wants to hold our hands as we journey through life.  He wants our walk with him to be safe and secure.  By holding our hand he can direct us away from the dangers of life.  I guess we all have passages that take on special meaning to us.  I discovered one of those passages several years ago when I was preparing thoughts for a funeral.  I wanted something to be said that gave hope and encouragement.  The prophet Isaiah spoke to the Israelites who seemingly didn’t know what direction they wanted to go in.  Hear the words and draw comfort from them; “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.”  When I think of those words, my thoughts go to my earthly father who was always there to protect me making certain that nothing happened to me.  His hands were rough and strong from years of work.  When I put my hand in his, I felt protected.  Are you feeling as though life is overwhelming you?  Are you facing struggles within the home, seeking guidance as to what needs to be done?  Have you lost a job recently and are struggling to make all the payments?  Has a loved one, or a friend moved on and you feel as though they have left you behind?  Are you confused about the course of events in your life?  Why not determine to reach out and take hold of the right hand of God.  Memorize what was said in Isaiah and use it as a battle cry when you face the challenges of life.  But above all of that, trust that the Lord is there reaching out his hand to you.  “Granddaddy you got to hold my hand!”  “God, I need you, hold my hand!”  

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com

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