Our security is dependent upon God’s grip on us,

not our grip on Him.

     We were created to walk in fellowship with God and enjoy His presence.  In that knowledge of Him we are told in Hosea 6:3, “So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.  He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.” (NASB)  In this verse we are assured of the certainty and the abundance of His provision as we walk with Him.  Each day is a delight as we relish in His presence with us and in His provision for us.  Not every day, however, do we find that we are conscious of His nearness and direction for us.  The psalmist David many times cries out seeking the nearness of God and lamenting that the Lord seemed far off.  The prophet Habakkuk likewise had serious doubts about the provisions that God was giving to him and to his country.  If we are honest, it seems like many days are spent wondering just where God is in relation to us and when He is going to act on our behalf.  It is in those times that we may lose our grip on God.  Some of these times just seem to come with no reason and we must conclude that those days are sent to accomplish what our Lord has designed for us as described in I Peter 1:5-7.

“Who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the

salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you greatly

rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief

in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith-of greater worth

than gold, which perishes though refined by fire, may be proved genuine

and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Other days may come to us as they did Asaph, who was troubled when His gaze shifted from the Lord to others, to circumstances, and to himself.  He related in Psalm 73 how a consideration of each of these led to a loosening of his grip on God which he describes as “my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. (vs 2)  His grip failed because his eyes were directed to others, “I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked,” (vs 3), to circumstances, “This what the wicked are like-always carefree, they increase in wealth,” (vs 12), and in himself.  “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; In vain have I washed my hands in innocence.” (vs13)  We can sense the lack of grip that Asaph had on God as he relates the despair, the disillusionment, and the discouragement that he felt, leading to his statement in vs 21-22.  “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.”  This was his low point, when he had no more strength or ability to grasp the hand of God.  It is at this precise moment that the Lord steps in and reveals the truth of His presence and provision for Asaph in the next verse.  Asaph records this revelation as follows in vs 23-24.

“Yet I am always with you, you hold me by my right hand.

you guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.”

It is at this point that Asaph realized that his security was not dependent upon his grip on God; it was dependent upon God’s grip on Him!

When our oldest granddaughter was still quite small we would take her and her family to a theme park in Branson, Missouri.  As we walked together around the crowded park, she would become distracted at times and forget to hold my hand.  At other times she would want to exercise a degree of independence and walk on her own without holding anyone’s hand.  I soon realized that the only way to keep her safe was for me to grasp the hood of her jacket.  She was totally unaware of my firm grasp on the coat she was wearing.  She felt free to come and go as she would choose, but always with my presence and protection.  The Lord desires us to be assured that His grip on us is infinitely more certain than the grip I had on my granddaughter!  What he reveals about Himself to Asaph is what he desires us to know as well.  His presence was revealed to Asaph by the words “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.”  He expresses his assurance in God’s provision with the words “You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.”

How is your grip on God?  Is it at times like that of Asaph?  Then we need to remember the word “Yet” in verse 23.  Yet He is always with us and holds us by our right hand.  His grip is secure and He will never let us out of the grasp of His infinite love, His perfect knowledge and His absolute control.  With His firm and loving hand holding us by our right hand we are reminded that He will guide us with His counsel, and afterward will take us into His glory.  Our consciousness of His presence and of His provision is not essential.  Our todays and tomorrows are secure and determined by His grip on us, not by our grip on Him.

In Christ,

Richard Spann