Close At Hand
Andy Barrick
“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13
My only daughter, Jen, had always been daddy's little princess. So, I was heartbroken when she hit her early teenage years and started to pull away from me. I'm told this is common while girls awkwardly transition into womanhood, but it's really hard for a dad who is used to dancing with his daughter and being showered with her hugs and kisses.
Suddenly, she preferred the privacy of her room to hanging out together and communicated with me through abbreviated text messages - wdym, ikr, lol. I didn't know how to get through to her, and I didn't like it, so I started leaving her sticky notes (without abbreviations) telling her how much I loved her and reminding her who she was in Christ. At the same time, my wife began praying that God would renew our father/daughter relationship.
This turned out to be one of the hidden blessings of our accident. Even though I would still never, ever choose it, Jen's injuries caused her to be completely dependent on me. I held her hand every day as she emerged from her coma, fed her every bite as she learned to eat again, walked beside her for every step as she learned to walk again. Most parents say they won't let their children out of their sight; I wouldn't let Jen out of arm's reach. Every time she got up to go up the stairs or walk into another room, I was close enough to reach out my hand and catch her. There was no way I was going to let her re-injure herself. It didn't matter how weary or tired I was, I would always be the first to jump up to be right beside her. That's what dads do.
I don't know what your relationship with your Heavenly Father is like. Maybe you've started pulling away from Him for one reason or another. Maybe you view Him as a distant, far-away being. Maybe you are angry with Him because He didn't do something the way you asked Him to do it. Whatever it is, strained relationships between children and fathers are painful. I'm praying that you'd let God renew His relationship with you. What I do know is what Isaiah 41:13 promises, "For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand..." I know from my experiences with Jen that in order for God to be able to take hold of your hand, He has to be close. That means He is jumping up to be near you at all times. He doesn't just hear you and see you. He is right there within arm's reach, ready to catch you when you need Him.
Perhaps God allows us to suffer for a time to give us reason to reach out and notice that He is right beside us. He always has been and always will be. Trials don't make Him suddenly come close; they just make us aware that He always was close. When we start to hit an independent stage where we'd prefer to keep our distance and communicate with God through abbreviated, routine prayers, He might just orchestrate a plan to bring us back to Himself. When times get tough, don't run. You can't outrun Him. He'll never leave your side. Don't be afraid. You can't upset Him. Reach out to God. Let Him take you by the hand and help you.