“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.” ~Psalm 34:17
I have a seven-year-old that reaches out and takes my hand every chance he gets.
Both of my boys are cuddlebugs, but the little one is even more so. Even to walk from the back door to the car, he’ll reach for my hand.
And you know what? I grab it. Every time.
Why?
Well, because he wants me close (maybe) and that warms my heart.
Or maybe because I don’t have to watch him if his hand is in mine.
Or, more likely, he’s getting every youngy attention he can since the older brother monopolizes my time and energy.
But mostly I take his hand because I want to. I just want the connection. There is that oxytocin rush when his little hand fits in my palm.
If you’re a parent or have ever babysat, you know what I’m talking about.
It can be a bit of a high, if you think about it.
This past Sunday, we studied Psalm 34 and the pastor mentioned how God hears when we cry out to Him.
But in my mind, I went back to every time this seven-year-old reached out his hand and how I grab it a little too eagerly.
And I immediately thought, Is that how God reacts when I cry out to Him? When I reach out to Him?
Is God that eager–more eager than even a mom to her little kid–to be intimate with His children?
My heart gives a resounding, Yes! Of course, God is eager!
In the Bible we learn that God did not even hold back His own Son, but gave Him up freely for us so that we could have it all: heaven, relationship with our Eternal Father, living hope, inheritance. (See Romans 8:32)
And that goes for double when our heart is hurting, when we’re being crushed by the strain of life.
In those moments, when the little boy buries he face in my leg with alligator tears in his eyes, all I want to do is hang on to him too. To hug him and never let go.
The difference is that God does.
While I have to go to work, or to a different classroom, or simply leave him in bed for the night, God never has to leave any of us who reach for His hand and hold on with all our strength. God’s only priority is us, His creation, the ones He purchased by the blood of His Son on the cross, who He pursues with an undying love.
Will you, today, reach out to God, who is more than eager to take your outstretched hand and never, ever let go?
I hope this devotional encouraged you as much as it did me. I’d love to hear how this touched you! This journey to the kingdom can seem long at times… And we need all the encouragement we can get!
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