Take My Hand

Take My Hand, Precious Lord

A devotional looking at times when people are under attack whether in the Ukraine in 2022 or US on 9/11 that we as Christians can ask for God to take our hand and lead us through those times when we are overwhelmed.

THOUGHT:

I distinctly remember the above pencil drawing that was created immediately after the tragedy of the 911 bombing.  We had just attended our church on that fateful Tuesday night, clinging together in shock and disbelief. We worshiped our God together. Different colors, different races, different backgrounds, different ages, and yes, even different religious backgrounds. Not everyone at the church that night was a member of MBUMC or even Methodist. People, some of whom had not been in a church building in years, sought out a place where they could be close to others and to God. In our grief, not even yet knowing the extent of the drama unfolding, clung to each other. We embraced each other, prayed with each other, and cried with each other. We were one body. We were holding each other together in hopes that these thousands of souls were in Heaven as we were on our knees. We hoped and prayed that they passed quickly and were instantly together with our Lord. As the flames still burned and the smoke still clung in the air with a heaviness that none had ever seen, we were hoping that our Savior, Jesus Christ, was gathering up each and every man, woman, and child into His Arms and comforting them in Heaven, where there is no crying or heartache.

This morning, I had the privilege of watching a social media clip of a young Christian father, holding his little girl, amidst the ruins of his home that had been bombed in the war in Ukraine. He was crying and devastated that his wife was killed in the attack. Yet, he said that he was a believer, and he knew that she was now in Heaven, devoid of pain, and safe in the arms of her Savior.

There is a 20-year span between the attack on our country and the attack on Ukraine, and yet the people and their visceral reactions have not altered over these two decades. We are worlds apart geographically, yet exactly in the same spot in our hearts and souls. We speak different languages but are still able to effectively communicate to each other with our feelings and our comprehension of the devastation left behind. Land boundaries and language barriers cannot keep us from being one. We are one because we believe. We believe in the promise of Heaven. Yes, we grieve for those taken from us, especially in devastation without rhyme nor reason. Yet, when tragedy descends upon this physical earth, our souls escape the tethers of our temporary home and ascend to their true home of Heaven, in the lap and arms of our Lord and Savior.

When these bombs plummet into the earth, we see the rubble that is scattered about. As Christians though, we also “see” that those people targeted have escaped the constraints of earth and are Heavenly bound. Bound for Glory! No matter how many man-made monikers we place upon each other in our prejudicial behavior, the only label that counts is “I am a Christian.”  No matter what oath we take here on earth, the only vow that counts is when we state our faith in Jesus Christ. Whatever lofty goal we strive for, the only goal to place in front of us on the journey, is to have faith in God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, and the Holy Spirit.

I suspect that whether it was in New York, the busiest city in the world, or in the countryside of Ukraine, the people that were affected, needed only to reach out and take Jesus’ Hand. As in the old Gospel hymn, the Christian need only say….

Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m lone
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

PRAYER: 

Lord, we lift up the people of Ukraine. Please protect all the courageous men, women, and children that are attempting to defend their country. We pray though in a more global way for anyone in the midst of war, strife, or conflict. We ask You give them strength and comfort in these troubled times. We are all your children and feel a need to pray unitedly for a time of peace. Please protect each and every one of us. If there is a conflict that ends in our earthly death, help us to know that because of our faith, we will behold You in the Heavenly Kingdom. Lift us up, gather us in, comfort us. AMEN.