Sometimes if we are awake enough, profound lessons can be found in the simplest of acts. One night several of the grandchildren were spending the night in the camper out back with Granddaddy (otherwise known as Gary). But one of the little guys, Isaiah (over 6 feet tall now!), had a stomach ache and he wanted to sleep with me in the house. He tossed and turned and I consoled till the wee hours of the morning. I had drifted off for a little while, when about 3 a.m. I felt this small poke and heard this sweet little voice say, "GoGo, can we hold hands?" I took his hand in mine, but he adjust his hand until we had interlocked hands finger by finger.
Those were simple words, yet an invitation to a king's banquet would not have birthed so much delight. The invitation that spoke without speaking. It's dark. I'm alone. I hurt. So would you join me? I need you. Let's touch, because if your big hand will take hold of my little hand, then we'll lay here together.....connected....and that will make me feel better."
I couldn't help but wonder, is God moved to that extent and that deeply when we say, "God, can we hold hands? It's dark and I'm alone, scared, hurting, or whatever, and i need you." Does he thrill at the sound of his children's voices call on Him to meet their needs? Is He as honored as I was to take that little hand? Even though I was the one comforting, I felt such comfort.
I call my writings "musings' because I muse a lot. Often when I am carrying in all thee bags of groceries, I marvel at my hands and particularly think of the usefulness of fingers. My hands are very small and my fingers relatively short, yet I can carry about 6 of those plastic bags stuffed full. What strength is in a hand?
But there's so much strength in the hand besides the physical. Someone taking your hand in the right time and place can impart romantic fireworks, comfort for the brokenhearted, encouragement for the weary, and bring peace and solace to a fragmented soul. God again, shows Himself brilliant, as our Creator He even made those fingernails which women use as artist's palettes. Of course, hands have not escaped the notice of songwriters. I certainly remember bouncing around the house as a teenager to "I wanna hold your hand." And around that same era came, "Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water. Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea."
In that most sacred event of marriage, the minister finally asks the couple to "join hands" and later the ever symbolic completed circle is placed on the finger of the hand. Often we are asked to "lend a hand" or someone will say, "could you give me a hand?" Jesus often "lent a hand." Many times the touch of His hand carried healing such as with the blind man. God's hands are mentioned a great number of times in scripture, especially His right hand. Probably my favorite reference to His hands is the thought of being clay in the Potter's hands. And then there's the scene where Peter walks on water and begins to sink He cries out, "Lord, save me!" Scripture says, "and immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him." Oh, the times He does that for us and we don't even know it. But thankfully there are times we do recognize that it is His hand who is holding ours.
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