“Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” Isaiah 46:4

A few years ago, a very dear friend came to spend the day with me at my caravan.  She brought her adorable son, 2 years old, with her.  As I lifted him out of the car he was so excited and couldn’t wait to discover what was there.  As soon as his feet were on the ground he lifted his arms to me and exclaimed “Carry”.  Of course I immediately picked him up and off we went – I mean who could turn him down with those gorgeous eyes?!

As the day went on, this happened a fair few times and I realised that actually his mum may not want me to pick him up every single time he asked.  This was going through my head when she leaned over and quietly explained that she was trying to teach him to walk on his own two feet and not be carried constantly.  From then on every time he asked, I offered to hold his hand instead but would not pick him up, honouring his mum’s wishes and as you can imagine, at first this didn’t go down well with him but he settled into it.  It struck me how similar this is to the way God teaches us.  So often we desire Him to sort everything out for us, carrying us wherever we go and yet if this was the case, we would never learn anything.  He’s there beside us holding our hand tightly as we traverse through our lives and upholding us if we stumble.  Being a good parent means we have to teach our children to walk on their own two feet whilst we are there to guide them. 

Later in the day, after climbing on giant carved caterpillars and hiding in wooden cabins, he became tired.  This time when he cried “Carry” it was completely different.  He was worn out and no longer able to walk on his own.  As he looked up at his mum with tears in his eyes, exclaiming the same word he had uttered earlier in the day she swept him up in her arms and he cuddled into her, knowing he is completely loved and he could rest in her arms, he relaxed straight away.

God knows when we need Him.  Though sometimes we feel far away from Him, He is never far from us.  He’s always with us.  Sometimes He just gives us the space to learn but He’s right there beside us and we can be sure that when we get to the point where we can no longer keep going, He sweeps us up into His everlasting arms.  We can rest in Him, knowing He loves us totally and completely. Maybe you’re going through something in your life at the moment where you feel wobbly on your feet – out of your comfort zone.  Really you’d just rather He deliver you out of there and you can forget about it…BUT…maybe He has things to teach you.  Don’t be afraid, He’s right there with you, holding your hand and equipping you with everything you need.  He won’t let you go beyond what you can bear.  These times are especially used by Him to teach us and strengthen us for the future.  Their purpose is to sharpen us, to equip us, to give us wisdom and it’s all because He loves us so much.

Image designed by Samuel Pegg