I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out my Father’s hand. John 10:28-29 (NIV)
Not only does Jesus offer us eternal life, He is very clear nothing, or no one, has the power to undo what He has done. When I decided to follow Jesus, I was told I could not earn my salvation—it was a gift from God. People would share Ephesians 2:8 with me, which says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it’s a gift from God.” These words were such good news to me! I knew there was nothing I could offer Jesus that would compare with what He offered me.
Later in life I began to struggle with fear and worried if there was something I could do to make God mad or disappointed with me. I wondered if God was going to punish me when I didn’t pray or read my Bible. I reminded myself over and over again if God sent His Son to die for me, His goal would not be to punish me. But I just couldn’t shake my fear. Then someone encouraged me to read Colossians 2:6: “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” As I meditated on this verse, I realized just as I received Jesus through faith, I must walk with Jesus by faith. The same faith that saved me would be the same faith that would keep me.
John, a disciple of Jesus, heard Jesus say, “I give you eternal life and God has given you to Me and no one can snatch you out of His hand.” Have you ever thought how different your life would be if you truly believed God had you in His hand and nothing could snatch you from Him? Our perspective would dramatically change if we truly believed God’s got this! We would trust the outcome of our lives to the God who has us in His hand rather than worry about the what ifs of life. Knowing God has my life in His hand eliminates the fear out of the unknown. We certainly don’t have the power to control what might happen tomorrow, but we can rest in the power that controls our tomorrows—God!
I have a sign on my desk that reads, “Good morning, this is God! I will take care of all your needs today. Have a great day!” As I mentioned, I struggled with fear for years—not fear Jesus would let go of me, but fear I would let go of Him. I began to pray and ask Jesus to Velcro Himself to me so that even if I let go of Jesus, He would keep His grip on me. What a comfort it is from me know God’s got this! God has me! I’ve walked away from Jesus several times only to discover later He never left me. His promise to never leave or forsake me gives me security and peace. Jesus is more faithful to us than we will ever be to Him. I don’t know what fear you’re facing today, but I do know you aren’t facing it alone. If you’re a child of God, He is with you always. There’s nothing you’ll face today God hasn’t already provided you the power to withstand. As you go about your today, try to imagine God saying, Don’t worry about anything today, I’ve got this!
REFLECT
Slowly read and meditate on John 10:28-30. Take time to ponder this truth: God has control of any situation that comes into your life.
Perhaps you can relate to struggling with fear. Can you accept the truth God will never leave or forsake you? What, if anything, is keeping you from resting in this promise?
RESPOND
Is there a time in your life when you felt God taking control of something you felt was out of control? Take a few minutes to journal about this situation and consciously thank God for His intervention.
Memorize Deuteronomy 31:6:
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
