BY WALT ALBRITTON
The pump that provided water for our home when I was a boy was about 75 yards downhill from our house. On stormy nights, lightning would sometimes strike the pump and disengage the power. More than once, my dad got me to go with him to hold a flashlight while he restored the power. Frequently it was still raining and lightning continued to light up the dark sky. Though lightning and thunder usually unnerved me, in those moments I was not afraid because dad took my hand as we walked along.
All my life I have felt the reassuring difference it makes when someone grasps my hand. It might be the lingering grip of a dear friend I had not seen in a long time. Or the strong yet tender clasp of my hand by friends who came to share their love for me when my wife died and four years later when my son Mark died at age 65.
Memories still linger of a day in June of 2003, when I was critically ill in the hospital, I felt loved by the caring handclasps of my sons beside my bed. All four sons had been called in because my dear friend, Dr. Jim Whatley, was not sure I would survive the aneurysm that almost sent me to Heaven. Thankfully, God had mercy on me, prompting the good doctor to use a vena cava filter to save my life.
I held my wife’s hand during her last days of suffering. She squeezed my hand, not wanting me to let go except when I was gently wiping her forehead with a cool washcloth. In tears, I held her hand until she breathed her last breath. God had blessed me with the honor of holding the hand of one of his awesome servants as He welcomed her home. In that moment I felt compelled to say aloud: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
As a pastor I had decided long ago that no one should have to die without someone holding their hand. I remember as though it was yesterday going to visit Leroy in the hospital. I knew he was very sick but did not know until I entered his room that he was dying.
He was a recovering alcoholic. His wife divorced him years before because of his drinking. He had three grown children who had given up on him, ashamed of his drunken behavior. None of them were in his room. It was mid-afternoon. The nurse attending him was glad for me to be there so she could take a brief break. I sat by his bed, holding his hand. I told him how proud I was that he had overcome his addiction and had inspired several of his drinking buddies to give up drinking. I knew several who were sober because of Leroy’s influence.
After a few hours, I noticed the sun was setting. It was a beautiful sunset. I thought it was kind of God to paint a lovely sunset in the western sky as my friend was about to cross over the Jordan into the land beyond the river.
In a little while, it was dark outside. I felt my friend’s hand relax as he stopped breathing. There had been no struggle. He had slipped quietly away into the arms of Jesus, the Savior whom Leroy loved to praise and talk about. When others had walked out, Jesus had walked in and rescued Leroy from his shame and guilt.
As I left the hospital, I was praising Jesus for the honor of being in that room, holding my friend’s hand as his earthly life ended. I felt in my heart that special peace that passes understanding. I prayed for Leroy’s children, “Father, forgive them for not being there to experience your loving presence in that room. Forgive them for failing to say, ‘I love you, Dad’ to the father whose sins Jesus had forgiven.”
Isaiah knew the joy of overcoming fear, because God was holding his hand. The prophet was afraid of the stubborn Israelites who spurned his pleading to give up idol worship and turn to the living God. But God calmed his fear, reminding him that he would protect him from his enemies: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you Do not fear; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:10-13).
Little wonder that Isaiah could rise up and resume his ministry as God’s servant. What better encouragement could a fearful man receive than to hear almighty God say, “You don’t need to be afraid because I am holding your hand!” I dearly love those verses, because time and again, as I have become fearful, weary or discouraged, the Lord Jesus has spoken those same words to me, all the while reminding me that he would hold my hand too and give me the strength needed to move forward as a servant of my King!
Each new day is a good day to rise and thank Jesus for holding your hand and reassuring you that he will provide all the grace and strength you need to confront whatever challenges or hardships are before you. A God who will hold my hand, despite my flaws, is a God I can joyfully love and serve!
