Reach Out Your Hand!

April 7, 2026

Scripture

“Our steps are made firm by the Lord when he delights in our way; though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand.”  Psalm 37:23-24

Reach Out Your Hand!

Several years ago, I had an uncomfortable conversation with a friend; he wanted to talk about my future.  I was reluctant to engage my friend in that particular topic.  Like many of you, I had experienced considerable pain when my hopes for the future did not work out as I had prayed and planned.

When my friend asked about my plans, my hopes, and my dreams for the future, I tried to change the topic.  I was disappointed, discouraged, and disillusioned.  But, a good friend continues to push and prod us when they know we need to address something. 

I reminded myself of the Israelite people who had experienced 70 years as refugees in a foreign land.  When they were mostly discouraged, mostly disillusioned, and mostly out of faith, the Lord God speaks to them through the prophet Jeremiah. 

In Jeremaih 29:11 the Lord God says; “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”  In another translation (Contemporary English Version) we hear; “I will bless you with a future filled with hope—a future of success, not of suffering.”      

If your dream has ever been busted or your heart deeply broken, you know it is not always easy to talk about your future.  There are so many variables out of your control, so much pain that is possible, and so many disappointments that can still suck the wind out of your sail.

As my friend waited for me to respond to his question about my future, I was afraid to answer.  I was afraid of the uncertainty.  I was afraid of the possibility of being disappointed again.  I was afraid of messing it up.  I was afraid of letting Jesus down again.

When you are afraid, it is easy to settle for the way things are today.  It is easier to settle for just enough faith in Jesus to help you survive but not thrive.  It is easier to settle for just letting life happen to you than risking it all to obey Jesus.  It is easier to settle for living with the disappointments from your past than living with the hope that comes through faith in Jesus.  It is easier to settle for living in fear.  It is easier to stay down when life has knocked you down than to let the Holy Spirit lift you up.

Early in his life, David had stumbled badly; there was an affair with a married woman, the murder of one of his military officers, the denial of his sin when confronted by a dear friend, and all kinds of failures with his children.

David knew what it was like to stumble.  Towards the end of his life, David acknowledges that we will all stumble, we will all fail, and many of us will fall hard.  Sometimes the fall will be a very hard, face in the dirt, tears running down our cheeks, unable to believe there is a future with hope kind of stumble.

In Psalm 37:23-24 David shares what he learned when he stumbled badly.  David writes; “Our steps are made firm by the Lord when he delights in our way; though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand.”

The Lord God is clear; we will stumble, we will mess things up, and we will fail.  It is not a matter of “if” we will stumble; it is a matter of “when” we will stumble.  The good news is the Lord God holds me by the hand before I fall and fail as well as after I fall and fail.

I remember taking long walks with our daughters when they were two years old.  Sometimes they would run ahead to see a pretty flower beside someone’s driveway or lag behind to investigate a grasshopper crossing the sidewalk.  But, when there was any hint of possible danger or when they wanted to know my love, they were right by my side with their hand inside of mine.

When their little two-year-old legs got a little tired and they stumbled on a crack I could not even see, my hand held them up.  I gave them strength to take the next step!  When they did fall and the tears flowed down their cheeks, it was my hand that lifted them up and set them on their way again.  I gave them courage to try again.

The Lord God holds us by the hand like a loving parent holds the hand of their young child.  In Isaiah 41:13 the Lord God says; “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’”  Our faith that the Lord God holds us by the hand today takes away our fear of what might happen tomorrow.

We will all stumble and many of us will fall hard.  The loss of a job, a health change, a relationship stress, a financial challenge, a moral failure, or an addiction not surrendered to Christ can confront us.  The next thing we know we are stumbling.  We imagine everyone laughing at us.  We imagine Jesus disqualifying us from serving a greater purpose in His kingdom.  We imagine being unlikable and unlovable.

In that moment when our face is heading fast towards the concrete, our hope is that Jesus is holding our hand.  In Psalm 23:4 we hear the Lord’s promise; “ Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and staff—they comfort me.”

You may have just come through the darkest valley you can imagine.  You are not ready to step into a future about which there is very little certainty.  Or, you may still be living in that dark valley.  You are not ready to do the new thing to which Jesus is calling you.  There is fear…real fear…standing in your way.

When we need something so we can step into God’s promises and the future He has for us, the Holy Spirit always provides exactly what we need at exactly at the right time.

Even when the Lord holds us by the hand, we may still stumble.  We may falter, we may mess things up, we may fail.  When those things happen, we are left feeling weak, inadequate, and afraid.  If we remain in that place, we will find it difficult to trust the Lord God with our future and with our hand.

And yet, the Lord God promises to hold us by the hand so we will not stumble to the point the fall destroys our faith in the Lord, causes us to remain in our pain, or leaves us living with fear it will happen again if we try to follow the Lord’s calling.

We hold onto the promise David shares in Psalm 37:23-24.  In another song, David shares the same promise again.  In Psalm 145:14 David writes; “The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.”

When we stumble, the Lord is still holding us by the hand.  When we are lying there flat on our face with no hope of a future, the Lord is still holding us by the hand.  When disappointment and discouragement are chasing away any faith we had, the Lord is still holding us by the hand.

When we are afraid to trust and try again, the Lord God speaks two words into our heart; “Get up!”  The Lord God was using my friend’s voice to tell me to “Get up!”  Jesus was ready to give me a comeback I could have never imagined.  God’s grace was greater than my failure, Jesus’ love was greater than my fear, the Spirit’s mercy was greater than the pain of my fall. 

Jesus stands with you to invite you to take His hand and walk into your future with Him.  Get up!  Be strong and courageous in taking the next step into God’s future for you.  Trust Jesus!      

Reflect

Describe a time when you fell hard on your face, failed catastrophically, or stumbled badly.  Where did you reach out for help?  What provided the help and the hope and the healing you were seeking?  What would it have been like if you would have reached out for the hand of Jesus like the Apostle Peter when he attempted to walk on water to Jesus?  (see Matthew 14:29)

Pray

Lord God, although my recent choices have not led to a catastrophic failure, I feel like I am stumbling and bumbling through life right now.  I know your hand is reaching out to take me by the hand.  Please give me the courage to take your hand.  Help me to trust you enough to let go of my attempts to control my circumstances so you can deliver me and redeem my circumstances.  I pray in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

Act

Put a name to your most recent failure.  Is it more of a failure because of your choices or more of a falling because of the choices of another person.  Describe what it would look like to reach your hand out for the hand of Jesus.  Memorize Psalm 145:14 and recite the verse at morning, mid-day, and evening each day for 21 days.