Hold On!

The other day I was cleaning our solid surface floors. With the mop/vac I use you have to hold down the button as you vacuum. If you let it up, the vacuuming stops. Sometimes if I stretch forward too far or even if I am distractedly thinking about other things, I accidentally let it up and it stops. One time when I did that, I heard inside myself “hold on!”

It got me to thinking. We can be going on about our life, walking in faith and it can be so easy to let up without realizing it. You get to looking at circumstances, thinking about other things, or just reach out farther than He has directed you. Walking by faith takes constant relationship with the Giver of faith. He gives us the ability to walk by faith, the faith it takes to walk, the direction, the ability to hear Him tell us where to walk. But we must be tuned in.

I’ve heard one preacher talk about a radio transmission. If you aren’t tuned in exactly, the transmission can be full of static, or you can even hear nothing. You must be tuned in. It’s not the station’s fault if you can’t hear – they are transmitting. You are not clearly receiving. And that’s the way it is with God. You need to be tuned in. He’s talking to us a lot more than we realize.

How do you hang on to Him? How do you tune in to what He is saying and doing? First, you must be listening. Sounds simple, right? How many of us have told our children (or spouse) something and can tell they are not listening?! It’s our choice to listen or not. Make the choice to be watching for Him to talk, to lead, to guide.

Next, hearing what someone is really saying takes relationship. Not just hearing the words but hearing the heart behind the words. Daily time of reading God’s Word and praying – conversing - with Him develops the relationship between you and Him. The more you spend time with Him, the more you are tuned in to Him. Think about this, if someone calls you on the phone and it’s someone you have never talked with before, you probably will not recognize their voice. But if it is someone you are intimately acquainted with, you’ll recognize their voice right away. You know them! You know their heart. You recognize the validity of what they are saying.

Living in this world takes faith. There is a lot of darkness and confusion around us. Many people, even Christians, are walking in fear. How do you hold on to peace in the middle of all of that? You have to hold on to Him. Hear Him, obey Him. Let Him show you the way to think, to speak, to live. Stay tuned in to Him and you will know where to go, where not to go. What to say, what not to say. When to do, when not to do.

I’m not saying life will be all buttercups and roses. But it will be so much more peaceful! He leads us beside still waters and gives us green pastures (Psalm 23:2). He will give us what we need to survive and thrive in a messed-up world. It’s like a young child crossing a busy street holding on to her daddy’s hand versus trying to cross that busy street alone and with no traffic light! Always remember – hold on!