I began my daily devotion, Jesus Always by Sarah Young, later than I had planned Monday morning. I already had a "case of the Mondays" and it was only 10:00a.m., yet this "case" was unfamiliar. I was anxious about the new normal that was now a reality in our world. I was letting my mind get caught up in the "what ifs" and uncertainly of the future.
The devotion began with these words from Isaiah 41:13: 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." God was speaking right to my anxious heart.
The devotion continued: "Close your right hand, as if you are grasping onto Myhand. This symbolic gesture helps you feel connected to Me--to My living Presence. Whenever you start to feel lonely or afraid, you need to reconnect with Me." I closed my hand, as if grasping His, thanking Him for His gentle reminders that He is always with me.
I finished reading and started flipping to the first of four Bible verses referenced at the end of the devotion. As I flipped to Genesis, the page landed on a highlighted verse in Psalm 73: Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand." (verse 23) Tears started welling up in my eyes. God was speaking right to ME.
The last of the four verses was Isaiah 41:13, the opening verse of the devotion. I needed to read those words one more time, so I turned my Bible to Isaiah 41. Of course. One of my favorite verses, Isaiah 41:10, jumped off the page in its orange highlighted text: 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.
How great is our God! He used just five minutes in His Word to calm my heart, to assure me that He is God, to remind me that He will help me, and to speak right to me.
I pray that, in these unsettling and uncertain times, you remember that God is always with you, that He will give you strength and help you, and that through it all, He is right there holding your hand.