Safe In God's Hands

I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.    —Philippians 3:12

Over the past ten years I have had numerous folks give me wonderful words of encouragement.  Many have spoken words of prophecy over me that God will accomplish great things in my life and ministry. The future is wide open. A super abundant outpouring of God’s anointing is about to happen. I hear these words so frequently that now I tend to smile and simply say, “Bring it on, Lord.” This past week I shared with a colleague another word that came my way. He responded in a text message, “He’s just getting started…hold on tight!”

I responded, “I’m hanging loose. He’ll [God] have to hang on tight to me; I’m resting in Him.” I wasn’t disagreeing with the wording of my friend’s encouragement; but rather, I was trying to describe my feeling and faith. Have you ever had promises spoken over you that have not yet come to pass? You may even wonder if they will ever happen. Have you had expectations placed upon you by parents, children, spouse, or even a boss that seem beyond your grasp? I cannot depend upon myself to hang on tightly to all God’s promises for me because my grip is not that strong compared to my body mass.

A few years ago, while visiting my brother’s lake house in South Carolina, we took the family to an area of the lake with a rope swing. I had never swung on a rope into the lake but had seen others do it. It looked so easy and fun. My niece went first; she slipped off the rope very near the bank but appeared to enjoy it and was not injured. My older brother, in his sixties, went next. Nicely done! He hung on tightly and swung high into the air before releasing into the lake.

Since I was the athletic type and not afraid of heights, I climbed higher into the tree to begin my swing. I didn’t realize how firmly one must grasp the rope to complete the swing out over the lake. As the rope hit the lowest part of the arc, my hands slipped, and I plunged directly into the lake just beyond the rocky shore. Embarrassed and shaken, fortunately only my pride was injured. I will not soon try that again—probably never.

Thinking about the promises of God, I feel unable to hang on in my own spiritual strength alone. After all, they are God’s promises and calling, not mine. The One who makes the promises is the One who has to keep them. Paul says that he had not already obtained everything that God had in store for him, but he does one thing, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” I am inspired by the phrase, “for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

Can you imagine a small child needing pulled out of the water or up over a mountain ledge? If two hands meet, a small child’s and a stronger adult’s, who is hanging on to whom? We may say to the child, “Hang on tight;” but, in fact, whose grip is stronger? The child can rest in the fact that his/her parent will never let them slip.

Friend, we can claim all the promises God has spoken over us. He will never fail us. “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6). “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it” (I Thessalonians 5:24). Rest safe in God’s hands.