Hold Me, Daddy, Hold Me

The worship leader invited us to raise our hands in praise as we joined voices to honor Almighty God. I have to confess that, at times, I am tentative about this kind of instruction coming from the stage because I think one’s worship posture ought to be more spontaneous and personal. But he followed his initial appeal with these words: 'like a small child raising his hands for his father to pick him up and hold him.'

Pictures of many of the children I've seen in this posture ran through my mind, and my heart smiled. They’re so trusting and expectant as they hold up their hands and say, “Hold me, Daddy, hold me!” In that moment, I wanted to express that affection, so I threw my hands in the air with abandon along with so many others.

A while back, Rich Mullins wrote the words:

Sometimes my life just don’t make sense at all

When the mountains seems so big, and my faith just seems so small.

So, hold me, Jesus, I’m shaking like a leaf.

You have been King of my glory; won’t you be my Prince of Peace?

The start of a new semester holds a kind of scary anticipation (for those who have taken Total Wellness and the Minister, this is eustress and distress at its finest!). We can’t wait to see what’s in store but, then again, we’re a bit nervous about what might be in store. We love the fun surprises but hold our collective breath through the difficult challenges.

 Be proactive. Go ahead and invite your Heavenly Father to hold you through this semester … through the good grades and the hard assignments … through the relationship highs and the late-night lows. Remember the Apostle Paul’s invitation to worry about nothing but, instead, to give it all to God with thanksgiving. And then, get ready, because according to Philippians 4:7, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”