Who Is Hanging On By A Thread

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

I WAS TEACHING MY GRANDDAUGHTER how to sew one afternoon. The day’s lesson involved making some simple drapes by using the zigzag stitch on the seams. We went through the usual steps to thread the machine and began to sew. We worked a little bit and then decided we should check our work before continuing.

The top of the drape looked great with a perfect zigzag stitch, but the bottom was definitely not perfect. It was held together by only a single straight thread the length of the fabric. With a simple pull the entire thread came out. “Oh no! The bobbin is threaded incorrectly!” I exclaimed.

Even though the drapes looked perfect from the top, they were unusable. Together we spent the next ten minutes rethreading the bobbin, which involved lots of frustration and much trial and error. But finally the machine was ready to use again. When we’d finished, the zigzag on the top of the fabric matched the zigzag on the bottom of the fabric perfectly. The seam was secure.

Sometimes, as mommas, we feel like we are hanging on by only a thread. We feel as if our lives will fall completely apart with a simple pull. If one more thing goes wrong, all our hard work will be for nothing.

The truth is, the Father is holding you tightly to His heart with the power of His love. We know this because Jesus said, “My Father . . . is greater than all; no one can snatch [my followers] out of my Father’s hand.” When we realize that the Lord of all creation is holding on to us and we don’t have to desperately hang on to a slipping thread, we will no longer worry about coming undone.

You may feel as if you cannot hold on, but His firm grasp won’t let you go. No matter the difficulty of the day, week, month, or year, He’s got you! You are zigzag stitched to His heart! That thread is secure.

Tonight we pray for the momma who is hanging on by a thread. Lord, it has been a long day, and it might not have gone anything like she’d hoped. Maybe her kids are fighting or her patience is running thin. Maybe her work or marriage or money has her knotted up inside. Maybe it’s all of this. Lord, tonight, no matter what is creating the threadbare places in her heart, we ask that you’d strengthen her. Fill her with a hope that surprises her. Wrap Your arms around her. You love her so much. Remind her of this now.

We ask in Jesus’s name, amen.

Jesus, please stitch me close to Your heart and help me as I . . .