I remember the day before my oldest daughter started to walk. We were going shopping. When we got out of the car, she grasped my hand on one side, and on the other side, gripped her mother’s. Receiving support from both of us, she walked from where we had parked to the back of a large department store. The next day she tried walking without assistance. She took a few successful steps before she tumbled to the ground. Following that tumble, she preferred to hold someone’s hand if she had to walk across an open area.
Although she did eventually learn to walk without support, she still liked to hold my hand. Holding my hand assured her I was there should anything happen that made her uncomfortable or frightened. It also kept her close to me. When she had my hand, her perspective changed. The person whose hand she held could resolve what she could not properly deal with on her own.
Throughout scripture, I find God is continually offering His hand to humans as they struggle through life. Some people accept His hand, and others reject it.
The early years of King Solomon’s reign demonstrated he was dependent on God to rule the nation of Israel. When God told Solomon to ask for anything he wanted, Solomon asked for wisdom. This request showed that Solomon recognized the need to have his hand held by God as he ruled the people. (1 Chronicles 1:7-10)
Requesting that God hold your hand is a sign that you are mature enough to recognize your limitations. Humans are limited in their understanding of situations and in their capacity to deal with those circumstances.
When my children were very young, we tried to hold on to their hands, especially when we were in parking lots and stores. We did this because we recognized the potential dangers to the children in those areas. Every once in awhile, one of the children would break free and run toward danger. This action would raise the parental stress level and cause us to attempt to regain the child’s hand. God does not force anyone to hold His hand. However, I believe that He chases after us when we run into danger. He offers to hold our hand and direct us despite our immature action.
When you hold hands with another person, you must be near them. We can use this principle in our spiritual lives. If we want God to hold our hand and give us support and guidance, we must move into a close relationship with Him. Problems arise when we try to move away from God and still receive His support and blessing.
I believe the natural response to receiving direction and encouragement from God is, offering support to those around us. Perhaps the proper understanding of this is God holding our hand on one side while we extend our other hand in support and encouragement to those on the other side.
While my daughter was learning to walk, we encouraged her. We assured her that she could take the step or two that was required to reach us. We were there to comfort and catch her if she fell. She knew that we believed she could, even when she was unsure. God has that same type of belief in us. He holds our hand, and He also encourages us to go ahead and take that next step. He knows that each step will bring us even closer to Him. Living in God’s shadow was never intended to be a life of misgivings and loneliness. When we hold God’s hand, we step into His shadow, fully confident of his support. We are encouraged and sustained by God’s hand in troubled times, enabling us to offer hope to those around us.
Occasionally, I hear about a person or animal rescued from the water by a human chain. A person safely on dry land is holding the hand of another, who holds the hand of another, continuing until they form a line out to whomever or whatever they are trying to save, forms these human chains. As people who live in God’s shadow, we should also offer a hand of hope to those who live in hopelessness. We must have one hand clinging to God’s hand and the other hand offering hope and encouragement to the discouraged and hopeless around us. We must offer them a hand to help pull them to the safety of God’s shadow.
Whose hand we choose to hold is a crucial detail. I have found holding my right hand with my left is not comforting or reassuring. It is kind of like plugging one end of an electrical extension cord into the other end of the same cord. For the extension cord to work correctly, it requires a connection to a power source. Holding God’s hand and connecting with God, energizes me and enables me to offer a link to that energy to those around me.
When my children were small, we discouraged them from holding any stranger’s hand. We chose this action because we were not sure where the stranger might lead them or what germs or other substances the stranger might have on their hands. We did not know if the stranger was just a person whose day was brightened by seeing a toddler or if the person was a kidnapper. As long as we had the child’s hand in ours, we knew they were in our control and safe.
Holding God’s hand gives us the safety we need to offer others the hope He gives to us. We have no fear of being kidnapped away from God simply because we provide the promise of a better life in God’s shadow to others. Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:28 (NIV)
Hold tight to God’s hand, allowing Him to lead you to a life in His shadow. The most secure place we can live is God’s shadow, with our hand clinging to His.