I’ve loved a lot this month – and learned a bit too.
When a weary, or a scared, Micah flings his little arms upwards with pentecostal fervour accompanied by the plea, “I want to hold you”, I think he means, “I want you to hold me”. Either way, the key to rest for the weary and shelter for the fearful in this situation is the ‘holding’ – be it the tightness of his little arms holding on to me – or, my big arms holding on to him.
And yes, as you might imagine, it does make me think of how I relate to God.
Weariness and fear are two of the great challenges for me in living life. They never seem to be too far away. They are always prowling around in the neighborhood of my heart. Many a contemporary worship song urges me to sing something akin to “I want to hold you, God – and I never want to let You go”. And I am happy to oblige, with fervency and with meaning.
But is the strength of my ‘hold’ really worth singing about? Micah’s hold on me is not the key to his sense of security. It is my hold on him that makes the difference. I love to hold him. And so it is with God. Sing all you like about how much you want to hold Him (and I will continue to do so) – but, ultimately, the rest and the shelter is found in knowing that He holds onto me and will not let go. He loves me that much … and that is worth singing about.
I love a little letter in the New Testament. It is written by Jude.
It uses the word ‘keep’ in a similar way to this idea of holding.
Jude opens up, writing to those who are ‘loved … called … and kept for Jesus Christ’ (1).
He urges his readers to ‘keep yourselves in God’s love’ (21, a bit like Micah’s holding of me).
Then: ‘To him who is able to keep you from falling…’ (24, a bit like my holding of Micah).
While he was in Bangalore, Micah and I enjoyed our walks…
He loved the animals – be it the tiger on the wall, or the crab on the beach (in Kochi)…
And taking little breaks for rest and refreshment together was important too…
nice chatting
Paul
By the way, Micah’s little sister, Amaliya, is pretty cute too.
Here she is with her grandma in a little restaurant in the Jewish Quarter of Fort Kochi.
About Me
the art of unpacking
After a childhood in India, a theological training in the USA and a pastoral ministry in Southland (New Zealand), I spent twenty years in theological education in New Zealand — first at Laidlaw College and then at Carey Baptist College, where I served as principal. In 2009 I began working with Langham Partnership and since 2013 I have been the Programme Director (Langham Preaching). Through it all I've cherished the experience of the 'gracious hand of God upon me' and I've relished the opportunity to 'unpack', or exegete, all that I encounter in my walk through life with Jesus.
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Beautiful children!
Amen to your comments.
Thanks, Jillian.
We miss them – but God has his hand on them and on us … and on you!
Paul