The Hand That Held Mine

Scripture: Isaiah 41:13 — “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (NIV)

From the book: Unshaken, Chapter 7, “Smoke in the Walls”

Bible story: Jesus reaches for Peter on the water, Matthew 14:22–33

I must have been seven or eight years old. It was nighttime, and I was asleep on the top bunk when my mother’s urgent voice yanked me from sleep. “Get up! Come on, there’s a fire.” We’d already lost everything once before in a fire. So when I heard those words, panic surged within me.

This time, my dad was home. I don’t remember getting outside. But I remember standing with him, his hand holding mine, watching thick plumes of smoke spill from our neighbor’s upstairs window. I looked up at my father, squeezed his hand, and with a voice of great uncertainty asked, “Daddy, are we going to have to move again?”

He looked down, calm and steady. “No, everything will be okay.”

It was different with him there. I was still afraid, but this time, it wasn’t the frantic panic I felt during the first fire. It was something else. Maybe trust. Maybe hope. Most likely, it was the security of having my father beside me through this new storm.

My father couldn’t put out that fire. He couldn’t control the smoke, or the firefighters, or the rest of the block. What he could do was stand beside me with my hand in his. But the fear returned. Would there be another fire? Would someone break in? Would something bad happen to someone I loved?

That’s the kind of help God promises in Isaiah 41:13: “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (NIV) Look at the verbs. God takes hold. I squeezed my father’s hand, but his was already holding mine. And notice what God doesn’t say. He doesn’t say, “Do not fear, because the fire is out.” He says, “Do not fear; I will help you.” The reason isn’t that everything is under control. It’s whose hand we’re in.

Peter learned the same thing in the middle of a storm. In Matthew 14, the disciples were in a boat battered by the waves when Jesus came to them, walking on the water. Peter stepped out to meet Him. Then he saw the wind, grew afraid, and began to sink. His whole prayer was three words: “Lord, save me!” The very next verse says, “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.” Jesus didn’t quiet the storm first. The wind kept blowing until they climbed into the boat. Yes, He asked Peter why he doubted, but He asked it after the rescue, not before.

My father’s hand was a gift, and it was also a picture of a greater one. No human hand can be at every fire. At the first one, my dad was at work. At the second, he was home, and I felt the difference. But God is never somewhere else. And if you never had a hand like that to hold, hear this: His promise doesn’t depend on anyone else’s story. The hand He offers is His own.

Reflection: What fear do you need help carrying today? Open your right hand, name that fear out loud, and picture God taking hold of it. Then pray a prayer as short as Peter’s: Lord, help me.

Prayer: Lord, You’re the God who takes hold of my right hand. When the smoke is thick and I can’t control what’s happening, remind me that I’m not standing alone. Take hold of this fear I’ve named, and help me. Amen.

Don’t have time to read, listen below!

Listen: “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” by Hillsong UNITED
Let this song sit beside Peter’s story today, and remember that the hand that caught him is still reaching for you.