My hand was held in my Dad’s warm grip. I felt secure. We briskly walked the usual short cut from England’s Liverpool Underground Railway Station through what appeared to be a rough section of the city center. We were headed to Liverpool’s University Hospital for one of what would prove to be many medical appointments. My Dad was a tall man, fit and strong. He had served as a “bobby” (policeman) in London’s Metropolitan Police Force. During World War II he voluntarily served in the British Royal Navy, mostly in the North Atlantic searching for German U-Boats. I vividly recall him straightening in his chair and declaring with eyes sparkling, “I loved the sea, lad! The rougher the better.” In my Dad’s presence or in his grip, I felt safe.

We were about half way through the short cut when my Dad said, “You’re a big boy now, Nigel. Big boys need to learn to walk on their own without having their Dad hold their hand.” With that said, he let go of my hand. I was eleven years of age at the time; tall for my age, but I wasn’t ready for him to release his grip. Traveling home later that day on the train, my Dad said, “Nigel, lad, you can make the journey to Liverpool on your own next time. You’ll be alright. You don’t need your Dad to hold your hand any more.” That meant me having to navigate bus rides, train changes and the walk alone through ‘that’ short cut. Letting go of my Dad’s hand was frightening enough but the thought of making the journey alone terrified me.

When I look back at my spiritual journey I see pretty much the opposite when it relates to holding the hand of my Heavenly Father. I can see clearly how it was always God relentlessly reaching out to take hold of my hand while I relentlessly resisted His efforts. God wanted to walk through life with me and I wanted to walk alone. I did not know that, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). My grandmother had told me about Jesus and the cross. She told me Jesus loves me and that He had a wonderful plan for my life. She even told me that God had a beautiful wife picked out for me. But, I had yet to understand that God sent His Son “to seek and to save that which was lost”.

I believe my Dad’s goal was to help me grow up; to encourage me to learn how to walk through life on my own. The experience toughened me up, taught me that I could travel alone. But, it also ingrained in me a hardheadedness, an ‘I can do it on my own’ attitude. After years of turning my face away from God, I finally came to a very difficult place in life where I felt as though I was losing everything most precious to me. I was in what the Bible calls a “slimy pit” with no way out in my own strength (Psalm 40). I had been invited to a church service numerous times but kept giving excuses. I finally went.

At the close of the service I found myself at the altar where I desperately prayed to God for help. He immediately began the process that “brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet on a rock, and established my steps” (Psalm 40:2) Proverbs 18:10 tells me, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe.” Psalm 30:6 assures me that when I feel secure, “I will never be shaken”. Isaiah 49:16 and John 10:28 proclaim such truths as: “Your name is permanently engraved in the palms of my hands; and no man shall snatch them out of his hand.” Joseph Parker, an English theologian drew the conclusion that the hand could be compared to the soul. It was as if my Dad’s soul held my soul through the streets of Liverpool; as if his strength was my strength. I have never forgotten that oneness. Now, I experience a oneness held in the nailed pierced hands of Jesus. His strength is my strength. Will you, by faith, take hold of His outstretched hand? “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) Today, in the warmth of my Heavenly Father’s loving grip I am secure forever.

Rev. Nigel Probert is the senior pastor at Cavalry Alliance Church in Minot.

Reflections, a mini-sermon written by Minot and area clergy, will appear each Saturday in The Minot Daily News. Clergy interested in writing a mini-sermon should contact Andrea Johnson at 857-1945 or ajohnson@minotdailynews.com