The act of hand holding occurs under various circumstances, but they are rooted in care. You hold the hand of the one who has captured your heart and desire to love forever, you hold the hand of your children when want to ensure their safety as you cross a busy street, you hold the hand of a loved one lying in a hospital bed in hopes to bring them comfort and simply let them feel your presence. The circumstances vary but all are intimately rooted in love and care.
As I read the following verses in Jeremiah, my heart is captivated by the intentional language used to describe how God was leading His people out of Egypt, all while knowing the condition of the hearts of those He was leading.
God recalls the day that He took His people “by the hand.” This was the day God was leading His people out of Egypt, out of a place of bondage. What tremendous love and care we see from God as He cares for a people who have broken His covenant.
But leading them out of a place of bondage was just the beginning. After their exit, they faced a desert place that would require God’s constant love, care, provision and guidance. God did not lead them out of Egypt just abandon them at the gate to fend for themselves the rest of the way. No, our God takes us by the hand.
Wherever you find yourself today, know that in any and every circumstance, the God of heaven and earth is holding your hand! What a beautiful picture of grace and mercy!
Jeremiah 31:31-33
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, [32] not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Highlighting the hope that we have in Christ! 