Taking God's Hand

One of the recurring themes throughout Soul Weathered is the relentless love of God.

His pursuit of us.

His kindness toward us.

His fatherly care.

Over and over, I've written about God's love flowing toward us.

But recently, God has been showing me something different through my granddaughter.

Something about how we love Him back.

My granddaughter often spends the night with us.

And like many four-year-olds, she likes to sleep close.

Sometimes she sleeps between us.

Sometimes beside us.

But throughout the night, she continually moves closer.

She wants to know we're there.

She wants to feel our presence.

And honestly, there is something comforting to me about that too.

But I've noticed something else.

Sometimes in the middle of the night she'll reach out her hand.

Not because she needs anything.

Not because she's afraid.

She'll simply reach over and touch my face.

Sometimes she'll gently stroke my cheek.

And every time it happens, it catches me off guard.

It's such a simple gesture.

Yet it feels deeply personal.

Almost as if she's reassuring me.

Almost as if she's saying:

"I'm here too."

Another thing she does is reach up and take my hand when we're walking together.

Not because I asked her to.

Not because she's scared.

Not because she's in danger.

She simply reaches up and takes my hand.

And every time she does, something in my heart responds.

As a father, I felt that with my daughters.

As a grandfather, I feel it again.

There is something deeply moving about freely given affection.

Love offered without obligation.

Love that simply wants to be near.

As I've reflected on those moments, I've begun wondering if God feels something similar.

We often think about our need for God.

We talk about wanting His presence.

Wanting His comfort.

Wanting His protection.

Wanting His guidance.

And rightly so.

We need all those things.

But what about God?

What about the Father's heart?

Scripture tells us that God delights in His children.

That He rejoices over us with singing.

That He desires relationship with us.

Not merely obedience.

Not merely service.

Relationship.

What if God enjoys our presence too?

What if He loves those moments when we simply draw near?

Not because we're in crisis.

Not because we need something.

Not because we're afraid.

But simply because we love Him.

I think sometimes we approach prayer like a business meeting.

A list of requests.

A list of needs.

A list of problems to solve.

But what if prayer sometimes looks more like a child reaching up and taking her father's hand?

What if prayer

is, in some small way, like a granddaughter gently touching her grandfather's face?

Not because she needs anything.

Not because she's asking for anything.

But because love naturally moves toward the one it loves.

I don't know all the mysteries of God's heart.

But I know this:

The moments I treasure most with my granddaughter are not the moments when she needs something from me.

They're the moments when she simply wants to be close.

And I wonder if our Father feels the same way.

Maybe that's part of what Jesus meant when He told us to become like little children.

Not merely trusting.

Not merely dependent.

But free in our affection.

Free in our love.

Free in our desire to simply be near.

So perhaps today, instead of only asking God for something, we might simply draw close.

Take His hand.

Sit with Him.

Enjoy His presence.

Love Him because He first loved us.

And perhaps, like my granddaughter reaching for my hand, we'll discover that the Father's hand has been reaching toward us all along.

Let me ask you this—

When was the last time you spent time with God simply because you wanted to be near Him?

Not to ask.

Not to perform.

Not to earn.

Just to be with your Father?