It All Depends on Who's Holding the Rope
I guess we all have our own "scary" stories to tell. This was one was told by a woman recently: "It was pretty scary for a four-year-old little girl. My grandfather had somehow managed to drop his favourite pen down a well in our yard. I remember it as being about 8 metres deep, and I remember that, because I was the one who had to retrieve Granddad's valuable pen.
My father made this makeshift harness for me to sit in, tied a rope around my waist, and began to lower me down into that hole. My mind was focussed partly on the lost pen, and partly on what snakes might be down there in that damp hole in the ground. As I dangled in space in a scary place, I was counting on one thing: my big, strong father who was holding the rope."
Dangling in space in a scary place may describe where you are in your life right now. It just feels as if you're holding onto nothing; you're moving through the dark.
That must be some of what David was feeling when he wrote these words in Psalm 34, beginning at verse 3. David is actually hiding out in caves. The king, the most powerful man in the country, is hunting him to kill him. He's got all the troops out looking for him. Talk about anxiety!
But David writes, "Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them. ... those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."
Notice there's nothing in here about the "snakes" at the bottom, nothing about the enemy king, the death threats, the danger, and nothing about the uncertain future. As scary as David's situation is, he is living without fear; he's actually at peace. In a word, he's OK. Why? Because of Who is holding the rope!
And that's why you're OK, too. Right now there may be far more questions than answers. The future is pretty uncertain. You feel like you're dangling in space, and there's danger below you. You can't see where the money could possibly come from, where an answer could come from, how that person will ever change, how you're going to find a way through this or a way out of that.
But if you've given yourself to Jesus Christ, you are a child of the Most High God! And your security does not come from the environment you're in, the position you're in, or the resources you can see.
Your security comes from who is holding the rope: your big, strong Heavenly Father. You may be in a situation where it seems as if God is all you've got. That's when you find out that God is all you need. And it has nothing to do with your ability to hang on; it's all about God's ability to hang onto you.
It's a good day to ask yourself if you are sure that you belong to Jesus Christ - the anchor relationship. We have no relationship with the Father in heaven unless first our sins are forgiven. It's sin which keeps us away from God who's perfect. Those sins were paid for by God's own Son, Jesus, so you would never have to pay for them. He walked out of His grave to prove He can give you heaven.
Today He's ready to bring that eternal life into your life if you'll say, "Jesus, I confess I am a sinner. I'm pinning all my hopes on You. You died for me to take away my sins. From now on I will live for You. My life is Yours." That's when it all begins. That's when you are anchored in a relationship you can never lose.
The future may look scary; it feels like you're dangling in space. But you are safe if your Father's holding the rope! He is the one who in grace and mercy plants your feet on solid ground. He is the One who is able to deliver you from those situations which seem impossible to you, but are possible for Him. Rest in His grace and peace!