HOLD TIGHT…DON’T LET GO!
HOLD TIGHT………..DON’T LET GO!
A couple of days ago, I was out shopping in downtown Lagos, Nigeria. Anyone who is familiar with that shopping area knows how chaotic it is most days. It was also a very hot afternoon and alleyways were streaming and teeming with crowds of men and women buying and selling any manner of merchandise from pots and pans to plates, cutlery, towels and all kinds of decorative ornaments.
Male and female porters were yelling at the top of their lungs for people to clear the alleyways so they could go through carrying heavy crates or cartons on their heads from perhaps a lorry parked outside to a warehouse inside or from a market stall to someone’s car parked at the car park. It was a sight to behold.
Then suddenly, in the midst of this crazy jungle, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted, in a “quiet” corner, a man, carrying his little daughter, (who I guessed was about four months old) both unmindful of the mad rush all around them. He was smiling at her and with her. She seemed content and just simply held on tightly to him.
In the midst of this mayhem, this cute, adorable baby is gurgling away. She holds on tight to her daddy and is oblivious to the scene around her because she is in her daddy’s arms. She knows her daddy very well. She trusts him too. Incidentally, her daddy is familiar with the terrain. He has a stall in the very busy market. So he knows how to keep her safe there.
This got me thinking…, God is our Father. He knows all the terrains of our lives. He has walked them before. He came as man to dwell with man (Emmanu-El; God with us!) “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin.” Hebrews 4: 15 Amplified. Therefore we should be able to hold on tightly to Him even in the midst of the chaos that surrounds us and be assured that He will keep us safe. But do we know Him? Do we trust Him enough to hold on tight like that little girl held on to her daddy? And hold on tight we must. Because when the boat rocks, He it is that can keep it steady. When the storm rages, He can keep it still. When the furnace gets really hot, He can cool it down. When the oceans roar, He can calm the waves. “….but you who held tightly to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.” Deuteronomy 4:4 Amplified
It is the one who will hold on tightly to the Lord, Our God, who will be alive to testify of His faithfulness. Holding on to anything else is like clutching at straws. So who or what are you holding onto? I am holding on to the One whose everlasting arms are underneath. ” The Eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms” Deuteronomy 33: 27 KJV. I am holding on to the One who is a Shield and a Buckler. “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler” Psalm 91:4 KJV. I am holding on to the One who holds my hand to help me. “For I the Lord your God keep hold of your right hand; [I am the Lord], Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13 Amplified. I am holding on to the One who is my glory and the lifter of my head. “But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” Psalm 3:3 KJV
I am holding on to Jesus and I ain’t letting Him Go!!
Oluyinka Ego-Martins©