Being Held by God's Hand

Psalm 73:23-24

Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.

 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.

One of the best aspects of a running community is the companionship. Runners train together, race together, hang out together, and support each other with encouragement and wisdom. Runners understand each other and share in both victories and struggles.

Sometimes, though, in the midst of a group, a person can feel alone. Sometimes when I am going through a personal struggle, I look around at fellow runners, and I think I’m the only one with troubles. I know it’s not true, but I choose to believe it anyway, and then my head and my heart become a breeding ground for envy. I look at people who are better athletes than I, and I wish I could do what they do. I see runners who seem to succeed effortlessly, and I wish I could do the same. Probably the biggest focus of my envy is health: why is it that some runners never have pain or injury and I seem to be plagued by them?

The problem with envy is that it calls into question God’s character, and it makes a judgment about the quality of God’s plans. It pulls the focus away from what I have been given and turns it to what I do not have. The abundant love that God gives me is overlooked when I am envious; envy makes the statement that God’s blessings aren’t good enough until He gives me what another person has. Envy questions whether God actually knows what He is doing. Envy doubts that God understands how to bless me perfectly.

The person who wrote the words of Psalm 73 struggled with envy. He wrote that he looked around and saw others who prospered, and he envied what they had. He focused his attention not on God’s blessings but on how others were strolling through life with ease, never experiencing any trouble.

Envy is destructive, but God reminds us that His grace and faith always prevail. God not only forgives but is willing and able to pull us out of the envy pit. The psalmist says that God is continually with him, holding his hand, guiding him with His counsel. God holds our hands not because He accepts or tolerates our sin but because He knows that we are powerless without Him, and He loves us too much to let go. Continually, God forgives, loves, and guides. Without reservation, God faithfully upholds, guards, and protects. What an amazing gift!

When we try to wrestle free of God’s grip, He does not let us go. So why would I waste time with envy? What else could I possibly need? I am being held by the hand of the Lord God Almighty.

Lord God, I cannot comprehend Your love because it is perfect and beyond measure. Thank You for Your constant forgiveness and love in my life. Thank You for being the source of everything I need. Thank You for turning my heart away from envy and for turning it to You and Your love. Guide me always in the way that glorifies You. In Jesus’ name…AMEN.