When God Holds You Close
By: Alexis A. Goring
Bible Reading:
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”—Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
Have you ever felt like you were going through hard times alone? Do you ever feel like God is far away and doesn’t care about what you’re facing? Did you ever think that God abandoned you, leaving you to face the storms of life by yourself without adequate shelter and proper care?
If so, this devotional, inspired by a teaching by Rob Bell, is for you. Bell, an American author, once shared a real-life story illustration for the NOOMA Small Group Bible Study titled “Rain”. The story features a father holding his young son close to shelter him as they walk through a violent rainstorm in the woods.
Bell sets the scene: He was with his family as they spent time in a cabin in the woods on the edge of a remote lake deep in the middle of nowhere. One morning, he and his son Trace set out to take a walk around the lake at a point where there were clear blue skies, sunshine, and birds chirping. At the time, Trace was a little over one year old and seemed happy and content. Bell was carrying his son in one of those hiking backpacks strapped to his back.
They set out through the woods to walk around the lake. They were as far as possible from the cabin as they reached the other side of the lake. As they rounded the bend to head back to the cabin, Bell looked up and noticed clouds. Then, it started to rain. At first, only a few drops of rain fell. But soon after, the raindrops grew big and began to fall fast, leading to a downpour. Bell said it was the kind of rain that soaks you to the core, plasters your hair against your head, and drenches your clothing.
At first, Trace was okay, but as the downpour increased and started thundering, he became more agitated. Soon, he went from whimpering to shrieking as the trees and leaves no longer provided adequate shelter. The trees started to shake, and Trace began to scream loudly with terror in his voice.
Bell then shares what Scripture says about our cries. God says that He listens to us when we cry out to Him. He never ignores the cries of people who feel afflicted. God even says that when you cry, He’s close to the brokenhearted. He’s close to those who cry out. He listens. God never ignores our cries.
Bell continues teaching, saying, “There is this false, twisted idea out there among religious people that somehow, you’ve got to have it all together to have a relationship with God. Like somehow, God’s only looking for people who have no problems, have it all nailed down, and can put on the happy face all the time. Yet, the Scriptures speak directly against this kind of thinking. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden.” The essence of salvation is crying out to God and admitting, “I don’t have it all together.” Bell clarifies that a key part of our Christian faith walk is asking God to fix things and step in and rescue us. God invites us to let Him into our problems and trust Him to care for them.
Finally, Bell challenges his students to think about the storm from Trace’s perspective. He said, “For Trace, the storm is his reality. He sees nothing else! The lightning, thunder, and trees swaying, raindrops, and water just dripping off him are all he knows. He sees no reality beyond the storm. Trace doesn’t realize that, as his dad, I would do anything to get him home.”
Bell goes on to say that when the storm grew more intense, he took his son out of his backpack carrier and wrapped his arms around Trace, pulling him close to his chest and holding him close for the last mile of their walk through the storm. Bell whispered into his son’s ear the entire time, “I love you, buddy. We’re going to make it. Dad knows the way home. We’re going to make it. I love you, buddy.”
As I listened to this part of Bell’s story, I thought of how our Heavenly Father (God) responds to us much like Bell responded to his son in that situation. God wants us to know that He is with us no matter how fierce the storm we’re in. The more scared we are, the closer He is to us. God loves us with all His Heart, so He holds us close to His Heart and gently reminds us that He will lead us home to safety. The critical part to remember is that we’re not just safe when we reach our destination; we are safe in the storm because God is with us through it all.
As Bell wraps up his lesson point, he moves the timeline forward and asks his students to imagine if his son is in therapy years later, and this repressed memory of “the walk” resurfaces. Trace asks his dad, “Why did you let me go through that for? I thought you loved me. How could you expose me to that storm? Why didn’t you protect me?” Bell said he would feel crushed by this and explain to his son that the walk was one of the most intimate memories of his life with him. It was an experience that he wouldn’t trade for anything.
Bell closes his teaching by reminding us that if we’re bitter or angry because of some things we’ve been through, some storms in our lives that we were traumatized by, and we’re wondering that if God really loved us and is there for us, then why did He let us go through that, we should know that God held us close through those tough times and assured us gently that He would help us arrive home.
May we be encouraged by the fact that God holds us close to His Heart during times of trouble. May we remember that the scarier the storm, the closer God holds us. He loves us and will help us arrive home safely because He knows the way. God is our Trusted Guide through this life. We can trust Him with all our heart.
I’d like for you to listen to and be encouraged by these four songs that support my message and Bell’s story today:
Song of Reflection #1: “Promises” (feat. Joe L Barnes & Naomi Raine) by Maverick City | TRIBL.
Song of Reflection #2: “Sometimes He Calms the Storm” by Scott Krippayne.
Song of Reflection #3: “My Help” by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.
Song of Reflection #4: “Hold Me Still” by ForeverJones.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
How does it feel to know that you have a Trusted Guide (God) who loves you and will help you survive the storms of life?
Further Reading:
Isaiah 41:10
Psalm 46:1
Psalm 9:9
Psalm 121
Philippians 4:6-7
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/monkeybusinessimages
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