In His Hands

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17 ESV). As we continue to prepare for Easter through these brief devotionals, I cannot help but marvel at the love our Heavenly Father has for us. Our reading today is the epitome of this truth. I have always searched for the perfect illustration of this love. It has always been just short of the incredible depth of God’s love. Perhaps that which has most often come to me is best to share here. Life is not always easy. We can become blind-sided by illness, job loss, broken relationships, or death. Our Heavenly Father's promise to always be there for us can sometimes be difficult to believe.

When I was about eight years old, my Dad began to take me fishing with him. We would get up early in the morning, long before the sun had come up. We’d load our gear into the car and make the short trip to the docks in Galveston. Our first order of the day was to pick up some live bait from the shrimp boats that had just come in from their nightly excursions. It was a wonder to me. I would walk down the piers following closely behind my dad, knowing that all was right with the world. Some of the fishermen knew him and would call out his name as he approached. Somehow it made me feel just a little stronger, a little more important than I really was. We’d get some shrimp and head out to the shallows of the bay. The water was always warm enough not to need any waders, though Dad always put his on. I watched as he donned his equipment. I copied him as best as I could. Finished we’d walk out into the flats. Since he was six feet tall and I was less than five feet tall, I was always deeper in the water than he was. He never went deeper than I could manage, and I never complained that it was too deep. After all, he was there. His love for me would save me from anything that I might have happen. One day, as I was wading through the water, I stepped off into deeper water. The surprise of going under must have startled him. Before I could regain my feet under me, he had me by the shirt collar and pulled me up to the shallower water where I could stand easily. I was never worried; his hands were always big enough and strong enough to get me to a safer place. Funny how that works; God’s love is like that. He walks with us and will never let us fall into the deep without being there to pluck us from destruction. That’s a great love! It may be that you are experiencing one of those times in your life when it seems as if you have forgotten to wade through the high water on your own. You haven’t. He loves us so much that he has redeemed us from all peril. Trust yourself into his hands today.