61 - You Hold My Hand - Part 2

Psalm 73:23–26 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

The words from the end of verse 23 have remained on my heart today. It occurred to me that there was more that could be said about God holding our hand than I included in the previous meditation. What I want us to do here, then, is to spend a few moments reflecting on some of the implications that flow from this idea. We’ll do so by considering the purposes for which an earthly parent may take the hand of his/her child. Some of them I think are clearly meant to be understood in verse 23 above. Others may not flow so directly from the context but certainly find support elsewhere in the Bible.

1. Support. When a young child is learning to walk or is crossing an uneven piece of land, a father will take their hand so that they will not fall if they stumble. That is definitely one of the meanings of the Psalmist here; he had stumbled but he now knew that God had him by the hand to support him. He has us by the hand, too - He will not let us fall.
2. Assurance. While our hand is being held by a parent, we know that they are with us. It is clear that the psalmist here is conscious of God’s presence and it seems probable that he uses the idea of God holding his hand to refer to that. God wants us to know He is with us, too, as His children (even within us by His Spirit). He holds our hand in this way.
3. Guidance. When we are going somewhere that is unfamiliar for our children, we will take them by the hand and draw them along with us so that they don’t take a wrong turn and get lost. Again, the psalmist is conscious of God’s guidance here and this may well be included in his meaning. In the same way, God leads us on through our lives by the hand until we safely arrive at home.
4. Protection. A parent will hold their child by the hand in a strange or dangerous place to keep them from wandering into a place where they may be harmed. Or they may grab them by the hand to pull them away from imminent danger. God does exactly this for His children, too.  He will not allow any to harm us but will most certainly hold our hand to keep us safe until we arrive in glory.
5. Comfort. How much comfort is there for a fearful child when a parent tenderly holds his/her hand? What a sense of confidence and strength can be communicated in that way! How often do we find in the Scriptures that God is a comfort and a strength to His people? He is even called “The God of all Comfort!” He holds our hands in this way, too.
6. Affection. A gentle squeeze from the hand of a parent can be an unspoken indication of affection for the child. I love Philippians 1:8 where Paul talks about yearning for the believers there “with the affection of Christ Jesus”. This is a deeply felt love/compassion that Christ has for His blood-bought brothers and sisters by adoption. God holds our hand in this way.
7. Encouragement. When children are about to undertake a challenging task, a parent can wordlessly encourage them by the way they hold their hand. Our God is the God of encouragement to us (Romans 15:5), Who has equipped us with everything we need to live for Him in this world. His Spirit draws near and fills us when we witness for Christ, giving us the courage and the words to speak. He holds our hand.
8. Instruction. Some tasks are challenging for a growing child to learn - such as tying a shoelace or correctly holding a pencil. A parent will often take the child’s hand and lead them through the motion involved, or show how the fingers need to be placed. Again, through the Word, God has given us many examples of godly living to be emulated - supremely the example of Jesus Himself. He holds our hands as we learn how to live for Him in difficult situations.
9. You may be able to add more!

Let me say again that I do not know how many of these things may have been in the psalmist’s mind and on his heart as he wrote these words, though it is certain that some of them were. I do know, though, that God is our support, comfort, protector, encouragement and guide, that He grants us assurance and instruction and daily showers us with tokens of His affection! And I know that all of these activities can be performed in the simple act of an earthly parent’s holding of their child’s hand. What a rich picture to dwell on for a few moments in terms of our relationship with God! How we should praise Him that He holds our hands in all these ways and more!