I am really good at singing! I mean, I never get asked to sing at church or anything, but just ask any of my coworkers and they will tell you I can sing a ditty or two! I’m really good at just taking a phrase or even a word that is spoken in conversation and busting out into song! It’s a gift. It could be annoying, but I’m gonna go with awesome.
Once when my friend Wendy said a word, it was probably HAND, that seems probable, I starting singing out of the blue, “Put your hand in the hand of the Man who stilled the waters. Put your hand in the hand of the Man who calmed the sea.” We hummed and sang and tried our best to remember more of the words. Months after, we usually make mention of that little song memory when we see each other.
A few weeks ago my family hunted Pack Rat Falls, a waterfall we had not yet been to. Hiking up the creek to the falls consisted of rock hopping and log balancing. The water was really cold and there was fear the rocks were slippery. I really didn’t want to fall, because…well… it would hurt. So Tom would try to help me on the more treacherous places. He would go across first and reach his hand out. I would try to stttrreee-tch my hand out and grasp his finger tips before I stepped out onto the suspicious slippery rock. Tom told me to quit doing that. He said I was making it harder. He said I was going to hurt myself doing it like that. He said I needed to take the step and then grab his hand. He said, “My hand will be here, you just have to come get it.”
I wonder if Jesus isn’t shaking his head and saying the same thing to us. Whether we are doubters like Thomas, deniers like Peter, runners like Jonah, or do-it-ourselfers like so many people in the Bible, I can hear Jesus tenderly calling, “My hand is here. It is sure. It is strong. It’s the same hand that stills waters and calms seas. If you are burdened come to me. If you are thirsty come to me. Come near. Come as you are. Come and see. Come get it.”