A Tight Grip

“O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard: Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.” (Ps 66:8-9 AV)

 

The word soul can have several meanings.  Most of the time it means the inner man.  Rarely, it means a breathing creature.  When the writer states God holds his soul in life, he is not suggesting God is promising to keep us alive no matter the situation.  This would obviously be wrong.  Because of Adam’s sin, all people will die.  That is, all those who do not make it to the rapture.  God cannot promise something that would violate His own word.  So, what is it that the psalmist says God is doing here?  The feet here are the steps of life.  This promise is a promise of God’s divine presence, purpose, and strength for those who place their trust in Him for their entire lives.  It doesn’t matter what we face, God promises to keep us in the hollow of His hand, strengthen us, and show us purpose for the situation.  God will never abandon.  He will never retreat.  He will never neglect.  He will hold our souls in the palm of His hand in life, and death.

I can honestly attest to the reality of the statement above.  Over the years, I have seen many people go through very difficult situations in life.  I have seen financial collapse, health issues, marital collapse, suicide, and death.  I have seen people suffer from the most horrific of life experiences.  It has been my pleasure to be there for them and have witnessed, more than once, the amazing grace of God carry those through their hardships with strength and purpose no one could have seen coming.  It still amazes me when God meets someone in their time of deepest need and the trouble which surrounds them seems almost minor.  Whether it is the death of a child, an unfaithful spouse, or a diagnosis that could only lead to one inevitable conclusion, the LORD seems to carry those involved through on miraculous wings of grace.  But it wasn’t until our cancer journey started a few years back that I began to understand just how powerful the grace of God can be.  When the psalmist says God holds our souls in life, he isn’t kidding.  When we cannot go another step, God is there.  It is hard to explain.  There is a supernatural strength that gets us through these times that seems surreal, yet normal.  The Holy Spirit does not allow us to go down a spiral.  He keeps us calm and assured us that everything is under control.   The LORD has it all in His grasp.

I would like to say that I can handle anything that would now come my way, but I wouldn’t be so brash to test that theory.  What I do now is that if the past grace which I experienced is any indication, I am sure God can get me through whatever the future might hold.  When David states the LORD holds his soul in life, he earnestly declares that God has him safe in His hand and even though life will have its bumps along the way, there is a God greater than anything we could ever face.  He will bring us through it.  He will show us a purpose.  And His presence will grow even closer as we learn to rest in Him.