Holding On

 "Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me!" ~ Genesis 32:26

"In the womb he (Jacob) took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he strove with God. He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought His favor."  Hosea 12:3-4a

In the passage in Genesis, Jacob had been wrestling with a "man" all night and this "man" finally touched Jacob's hip and put it out of joint. There are debates about who the "man" is, but there are a couple of clues: (1.) In Genesis 32:30, Jacob says he has seen God face to face; (2.) In the Hosea passage above, Hosea says that Jacob strove with God and the angel - not any angel, but the angel. Regardless of who this messenger was (and I believe it was Christ), Jacob clung to Him begging for a blessing. He held on. 

The story I am going to tell here, I have told before, but some things bear repeating...

Several years ago, Larry and I had the opportunity to cross off one of our bucket list trips when we went to Alaska. We were not disappointed. It is a spectacularly beautiful place and we were able to see things we may never have the opportunity to see again. In addition, we did it all with great friends and some incredible memories were made. 

Now, I feel like I am a moderately adventurous person and I love to try new things. BUT... I am afraid of heights. Maybe a better way to say it might be that I am afraid of falling. So, when the entire group decided to go zip lining, I was terrified. On the other hand, I didn't want to be the only one in the group who wouldn't do it, so I agreed to go.

Does my face say it all?

The day came and we got all geared up. The practice runs were nothing. We got to the first big line and I was nervous, but it was a nice, tight line and seemed pretty stable. I held on and took off. Flying through the trees was wonderful. I thought, "I CAN DO THIS!"

Then we came to a TALL tree. The platform we were zipping to was much lower than the platform we were leaving from and the line between the two was not taut. It came to be my turn. I walked to the edge of the platform and stood there... and stood there... and stood there. Fear is paralyzing and I could not move. I was holding on, but I was holding on to the wrong thing. I did not trust the line and I was afraid of letting go. Our guide on the platform was a sweet young girl and she stepped next to me. She didn't give me a hard time about being afraid or tell me to "just jump." She quietly and calmly gave me facts about the cables and their ability to hold me. She encouraged me by letting me know that others had gone ahead of me and I could trust the cables to get me to the next destination.

Finally, I summoned whatever little bit of courage I had, closed my eyes, held on to my cable, and stepped off the platform. I can't say I enjoyed that particular segment, but I made it safely to the other side.

The best part is what followed. It was the most breathtaking scenery of the trip that day. We zipped over rivers and a waterfall. There was so much I would have missed if I had not held on to what I could trust and let go of my fear.

Sometimes, we come to the edge of something and we don't like what we see. Sometimes, there is a segment of our journey on this earth, or a season, that we don't like and we decide we want to opt out. We want God to build us a bridge or just pick us up and put us on the other side. But most of the time, it doesn't work that way.

How do we hold on when times are hard? 

We need encouragers to help us hold on (and we need to be encouragers for others).

"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called 'today', so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." ~ Hebrews 3:13

"Therefore, encouarge one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."  ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11

We need someone who can quietly come alongside us to help us hold on in distressing times. We need to be that person for others.

We can trust when we know the truth.

Certainly, we need to know Scripture, but we NEED to know God. He is the One we must hold on to and the more we know Him, the more we trust that if we hold on to Him, He will take us through our struggle. We must cling to Him as Jacob did.

"You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." ~ John 8:32

"Jesus said, " I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." ~ John 14:6

Sometimes, you just have to close your eyes, hold on, and take that first step.

The only way to get where you are going is to step out in faith and go.

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:7

Know there is a reward for holding on when we get to the other side.

I would have missed so much that day if I hadn't held on and taken that first step - but I didn't know it in that moment. When we come to scary, stressful, disappointing places or seasons in our lives, we can move forward knowing God has great things on the other side.

Know that even more than us holding on to God, He is holding on to us.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." ~ Isaiah 41:10

The Israelites were in a scary place in Babylon when YHWH said to them, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." (Jeremiah. 29:11) Though we love to quote that verse, we need to remember they would have to go through 70 years of captivity before they would be delivered. In the meantime, God told them to hold on (Jeremiah 29:4-9). In verse 10 of the same chapter, God promised if they would hold on, He would bring them safely home.

Who or what are you holding on to? Cling to Jesus. He will get you home.