Isaiah 41:13
I am the Lord your God.
I am holding your hand,
so don’t be afraid.
I am here to help you.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In his book The Shack*,
author William P. Young tells the story of a man named Mackenzie – or
“Mack” – who takes his children on a camping trip, and his 4-year-old
daughter, Missy, is abducted and murdered. This is a multi-layered book that I
encourage you to read for yourself. As Mack searches for his daughter,
three characters representing God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, appear to
him and provide him with assistance and insights. They guide Mack
through this horrific ordeal and offer him peace and comfort along the
way.
In one scene, Mack is talking with Papa (God) and Sarayu
(the Holy Spirit), and he “sees” Missy…and she is playing with other
children near a waterfall. Missy spies Jesus sitting nearby and turns
to run gleefully into His waiting arms. Mack can see the joy and peace
on her face…he can sense that Missy is okay – that she is whole and
fearless…and safe.
Ever since the first time I read this book, I
have had this mental image of Jesus with His arms outstretched…ready to
welcome us. We are the children playing by the waterfall who get a
snuggled hug from their Heavenly Father. We are the “Missy” who was
brutally molested and murdered…and God held our hand and kept us from
being afraid. We are the father who learns to let go of his hatred,
judgments and participation in the “blame game” and allows God to help
him through every situation and circumstance.
So when I read this
passage today, I pictured myself as the little girl in The Shack...and
Jesus was holding my hand and shielding me from all harm or sadness.
Each of us is the child in this story, in some way. And Jesus is
waiting with open arms to rescue and redeem us…to take our fears and our
heartaches…to restore us to joy and the playful abandon of young
children.
Will you take His hand today and give your worries
and cares to Him? Will this be the day that you let go of your fears
and bask in the peace and comfort of a perfect relationship with Jesus?
It can be…what are you waiting for?
©2015 Debbie Robus
*The Shack ~ http://www.theshackbook.com/
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