24 Sep Being Led by God’s Hand
I’m a firm believer that we all make mistakes and are in need of grace. I’m also a firm believer that if you think you don’t, just look back on photos of yourself from 10-20 years ago. Your mind will probably change fairly quickly!
If I ever start feeling prideful all I have to do is look back to the platform shoes and bell bottoms of my high school career to remember that I needed help. (And not just in my clothing choice!)
Don’t we all have days like that? Days we look back on and think to ourselves, “I really wish I hadn’t made this decision.” Or, “I really wish I wouldn’t have handled that situation this way.” Sure, some are silly like clothing choices, but some are much more serious in consequence.
It’s a fact: we all make messes. But thank God that our messes are never beyond His ability to bless us.
Still, God has a requirement to do so. He doesn’t bless us when we just do our own thing. He blesses us whenever we choose to let Him lead us.
I heard of a little girl recently who had grown up in the country. She was visiting New York City with her parents, and the traffic shook her up a bit at first. As the father and daughter crossed the street, the dad said, “Sweetie, take hold of my hand.”
She looked up at him frightened and said, “No Daddy, you take hold of my hand.” So he used a different grip and grabbed her hand in a way that she knew she wasn’t going to be lost or let go of. That’s how God wants to relate to us.
He says in Isaiah 42:6, “I the Lord have called you in righteousness, and I am going to take hold of your hand.”
Why wouldn’t we want to grab the hand of our Father God, when we know He can protect us against any and all of the schemes of the enemy? Right? But that picture can be easy to lose sight of when we want our own way.
What if the little girl wanted to go one way, while her father was leading her another way? What could have happened?
In the same way, it is in our best interest to submit to a Father who wants to take hold of our hand, to let Him lead us, and to willingly follow the route He has planned for us.
I don’t know what kind of family you came from. I don’t know how your earthly father or mother treated you. But I do know how our Heavenly Father wants to. Will you surrender your life to Him, allowing Him to love and lead you down life’s path? After years of experience, you can trust me when I say: the middle of His hand is the safest place to be!