Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.
— ISAIAH 12:2

I was enjoying a sunny afternoon at the playground with two of my grandchildren. We were doing all the things you do at a playground—running, swinging, sliding and climbing. Four-year-old Parker asked, “Papa, can I play on the monkey bars?” Grabbing him around the waist, I lifted him to reach the high bar. His tiny hands formed a death-grip on the steel. He hung motionless, suspended a metre from the ground. Parker’s knuckles turned white, his muscles began to burn. Anxious, but still in control, he called out to be rescued. I quickly moved into position, ready to catch him. “Parker, let go, and Papa will catch you,” I offered. “No, Papa!” was his immediate, slightly panicked response. I continued to coax him, “Trust me, Parker. Just drop into my arms.” His little fingers held on for dear life. He wouldn’t let go. I swept him into my arms and hugged the fear out of him. It was a great day.

Sadly, many Christians live their lives hanging on for dear life rather than abandoning themselves completely into God’s caring arms. We believe in God, we’ve experienced the wonder of his love, forgiveness and grace, but rather than live in complete dependence on his oversight, care and provision, we white-knuckle it; tightly gripping the things of the world and our self-preserving ambitions.

Your salvation includes freedom from fear as you surrender to and depend on God. God wants us to stop the white-knuckle living and fall completely into his arms.

What are you hanging onto today that needs to be released? Surrender it to him. Release your grip and fall into his arms of love.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. Can I remember a time when I released my grip and fell into God’s arms? What was the result?
2. When I’m “hanging on for dear life,” what’s usually in my hands? What do I need to let go of right now?

Larry Boss has been Lead Pastor of Kamloops Alliance Church for the last six-and–a-half years. Prior to moving to Kamloops, he served as an international pastor for five years in Cairo, Egypt and as an International Worker/pastor in Warsaw, Poland for ten years. Larry and Barbara have been married for 35 years. They have two children and four grandchildren.