John chapter 10 verses 24-30 describe Jesus being ambushed by the Jewish leaders demanding he plainly answer the question of his messiahship. He responded by saying he’d already been as clear as possible on the subject both with words and with miraculous deeds. He told them the problem was not a lack of HIS clarity but a lack of THEIR faith. They were simply choosing not to believe the obvious and there was nothing he could do to change that. No amount of verbal debate or physical evidence can change a closed mind.
How sad to think that these men could be face-to-face with the Son of God and remain blind to that truth by choice, oblivious to his divinity not because they hadn’t seen or heard, but because they’d refused to acknowledge what they’d seen and heard.
But the Lord went on to say there are those of us he refers to as, “my sheep,” who choose to hear his message and act on it in faith by becoming his followers. And to us, he said he gives the twin promises of life in the hereafter and security in the here and now. He declared we will have eternal life and experience it within the safety of his protective grasp, a refuge beyond the reach of any attempt to separate us from him.
That powerful statement deserves to be rejoiced in, highlighted, bookmarked, and committed to memory. No one can “snatch” us from his hand. He will never let go of us.
The problem is…that doesn’t prevent us from letting go of him.
I took one of my young grandsons with me to the store the other day. As we made our way through the parking lot, I held his hand to ensure his safety. And as we walked, I could feel his grip. He was holding on to my hand too. The sensation was a heartwarming affirmation of his trust, but it was more than that. It was what made it possible for me to protect him. If he’d let go of me, pulled away, and insisted on going off on his own, he would have exposed himself to unanticipated dangers, and it would have been nearly impossible for me to keep him secure.
And that can happen in our relationship with Jesus if we in pride conclude we don’t need him or in fear assume we can’t trust him and then choose to loosen our grip on him. His promises remain, but we are in jeopardy of removing ourselves from their fulfillment and becoming spiritually vulnerable. And the devil is always ready to exploit that vulnerability to pry our souls loose from their resting place within the Savior’s hand.
The beautiful thing is you don’t have to enable that strategy. If for any reason it seems the strength of your hold on Jesus has weakened, his on you is powerful. Press into it. Right now determine with fresh commitment to hold tightly to him in faith and firmly keep your hand in his.