Jesus holds your hand
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. -- Matthew 14:31 (NIV)
Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. -- Matthew 14:31 (The Message)
Jesus holds your hand. He catches you and keeps you from sinking.
How great is that? To imagine Jesus reaching out to take your hand, saving you from sinking. The verse above is from the story of Jesus walking on the water, then Peter coming off the boat to join him.
Last night the passage containing this story, Matthew 14:22-33 came up in my devotions. Sometimes I imagine myself in the stories, as a way of making them more real, often seeing things from a different viewpoint, gaining different insights (Ignatian contemplation). I used my imagination and wrote the whole story in my journal, as if I were Peter.
When I got to the part where I (Peter) felt a gust of wind and suddenly lost my faith, I wrote, “And then I felt myself sinking. I yelled, ‘Jesus save me!’ And right away I felt Jesus’ hand grabbing mine.”
It might not seem to you as a big spiritual insight, but I found it striking to think of “Jesus’ hand grabbing mine,” rather than “Jesus reached out his hand and caught him” (as it is in the Bible). Jesus’ hand grabbed my hand. I was starting to sink and Jesus reached out to catch me. Wow! Thanks, Jesus!
May you feel Jesus’ hand reaching out to you, catching you, keeping you from sinking.
How may I pray for you?