god’s grip

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.  “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31 NIV)

After feeding the five thousand near the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus told his disciples to get into the boat and sail to the other side without him. Jesus sent the people home and went up into the hills alone to pray.

During the night, the disciples were far from land.  A strong wind rose and they were fighting heavy waves.  Jesus came to them, walking on the water.  The disciples thought it was a ghost and were afraid. Immediately, Jesus called out to them, “Do not be afraid. Take courage. I am here!”

Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water toward Jesus.  But when Peter looked at the wind and the waves, he was terrified. He began sinking and yelled, “Save me Lord!!” Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed Peter and said, “You have such little faith.  Why did you doubt me?”

 Have you ever felt the security of a tight grip?  Like Peter, did someone grasp you and pull you to safety?  Have you ever grabbed the handrail when falling downstairs or reached for a tree limb to prevent slipping on a muddy path? Gripping is possible because of the thumb. Tie a rubber band around the thumb and index finger of your dominant hand. Now try to hold a spoon, or throw a baseball or type a text on your cell phone!

God created the thumb to be different from the fingers. The fingers have two joints and three phalanges. The thumb has only one hinge and two phalanges. But a more important difference is that the thumb is opposable. It can easily touch the fingers on the same hand and grasp objects.

Like Peter, do you ever think that God is far away and doesn’t care about you?  Even when it seems He is working in your situation, do circumstances cause you to doubt?  Do not fear! Take courage! God is here! He created your hands with the ability to grasp on to Him.  Remain in God’s grip and believe!

Like Peter, do you ever think that God is far away and doesn’t care about you?  Even when it seems He is working in your situation, do circumstances cause you to doubt?  Do not fear! Take courage! God is here! He created your hands with the ability to grasp on to Him.  Remain in God’s grip and believe!