A Two-handed Grasp

[Jesus said,] “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

John 10:27-30

I love the way Jesus describes our position in these verses. If we are in Jesus’ hand, then we are in the Father’s hand. Let the eyes of your heart see this: you and those you love are held in the palm of Jesus’ hand. Jesus’ hand is held in the Father’s hand. You are held in a two-handed grasp.

When Jesus uses the metaphor of sheep to describe his people, he is creating a picture of defenselessness and dependence. That doesn’t sit well with our I’m-in-charge human nature. Yet it is our reality. No matter how smart or strong or brave we might be, we are at the mercy of circumstances we can’t control. No matter how determined and disciplined we might be, we are at the mercy of impulses and ingrained behaviors that defy our best efforts to control them. When we come to grips with our own weakness, then we can begin to live in God’s strength.

The realization of our weakness is swallowed up in the certainty of his strength. Until we come to terms with our own vulnerability and dependence, we miss out on the stunning promise that we are never, ever, ever outside his protection and care. When we do, we can live with courage and power and strength, never at the mercy of circumstances or impulses. We find freedom knowing we are in God’s two-handed grasp.

Jesus, I rest in the palm of your hand.

In Jesus the weak are strong, and the defenseless safe; they could not be more strong if they were giants, or more safe if they were in heaven. Faith gives to men on earth the protection of the God of heaven. More they cannot need, and need not wish.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon(1834–1892), English preacher and writer