Cling to God
By Anne Peterson
“It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast (cling) to him.” - Deuteronomy 13:4
I was there again. Feeling raw, as tears rolled down my face. Why did life have to be so hard? And yet, I knew what I had to do. I needed to cling to God. Maybe things happen in your life that you don’t understand either.
If only God would whisk us away to heaven right after we accept the sacrifice Jesus made for us. But that’s not the case. If God did that, heaven would be filled with baby Christians with undeveloped faith muscles. Instead, God wants us to walk with Him while we’re here on earth as He teaches us who He is.
When I think back to times I had to cling to God, they were not easy times. We wouldn’t need to be encouraged to cling to God when things are going well. At those times we’re more apt to sing praises and feel close to Him. There seems to be a pattern in this verse, one worth looking at.
It is the Lord God you must follow.
First, we make a conscious decision to follow God. When Jesus chose His disciples, he repeated the same two words over and over: “Follow me.” Would they? Would they leave everything they knew and follow this person they just met?
And Him you must revere.
After deciding to follow Jesus, they needed to make another decision. The decision to revere Him. Revere means: to feel deep respect or admiration. That makes sense that they would need to revere the one they chose to follow. Otherwise, some might turn away, change their minds, and forsake him. One did, after all. As a little girl, when I heard about Jesus I wanted to know more. The Jesus I learned about was kind and loving and liked children. That drew me to Him.
Keep His commands and obey Him.
The disciples obeyed because they trusted Jesus, I obeyed my father out of fear, there’s a big difference. Followers of Jesus obey even when they don’t understand. When the disciples tried to keep the little children from Jesus, Jesus rebuked them, using the experience to teach them about the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:14). We are instructed to follow the Lord, to revere Him, to keep His commands, and to obey. What else does the verse mention?
Serve him.
When we get to the place where we understand who God is, and we learn about His character, we decide God is worthy of not only our trust and reverence but also worthy of our service. We make our decisions based on what God wants instead of what we want. We eventually learn that we cannot please God without faith (Hebrews 11:16). Hindsight is 20/20. Every time the Lord asked something of His disciples, they didn’t understand why immediately, but afterward it made more sense. The same is true for us, but there are also times we won’t understand. Will we still trust Him?
Hold fast (cling) to Him.
I believe the times we don’t understand, we are to hold fast to God. We are to trust in God’s character when things don’t make sense to us. Like when we stand before the grave of a baby or lose a parent when we’re still a child. Or maybe when we hear the prognosis of a loved one. But how can we cling to the one who could have done something about it? Isn’t that asking us to do the impossible? Yes. But we’ll find even that answer in God’s Word. He tells us: the things that are impossible with men are possible with God (Luke 18:27). We learn to trust God, little by little.
When Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, He poured out His heart to His Father. At first, Jesus said, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet, not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Which circumstances in your life caused you to cling to God? To hold tight with all your might? God is faithful. Just as the Psalmist wrote, we can call upon God as long as we live (Psalm 116:2). There will be times we need to cling to God, but when we do, God will hold us up with His right hand (Psalm 63:8). He said so.
Our Father’s Hand
A child holds his father’s hand
without a single care.
The journey doesn’t matter
for he knows his father’s there.
When trials overwhelm us,
may we be like a child,
and simply take our Father’s hand
and walk with him awhile.
- Anne Peterson © 2020
Lord, I pray that you continue to draw us close to You. Help those who are going through difficult trials. Remind them of Your presence, Lord. Draw them close to You, Father. Let them know that You are right there beside them so they cling to You with both hands. I pray this in Your Son’s precious and Holy name.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
For Further Reading:
Do a study of the words ‘hold fast’
Read my article on Crosswalk: 9 Bible Verses for Strength and Faith in Hard Times
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/andreswd
Anne Peterson is a poet, speaker, and published author of 16 books. Her most recent book is Always There: Finding God's Comfort through Loss. Anne has published 42 Bible Studies and numerous articles with christianbiblestudies.com. She has been a regular contributor to Crosswalk for seven years. Visit Anne’s website at annepeterson.com and sign up for a free eBook or visit her Facebook page. You can also subscribe to Anne’s YouTube channel where you can watch her recite her poems and share her heart.
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
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