A friend met with me recently and asked if I was doing ok. Isn’t it wonderful to have others check in on you? I am thankful for genuine friendships and mentors. I have been reflecting on our conversation in which she shared some of the content I had shared online had made her wonder if all was well with me. It seemed as if I was ‘clinging on’ to the Lord. At first, I took it to heart. I do try and take care of what I post online and wondered that if it looked like I was ‘clinging’, I was somehow faltering in my faith for the whole online world to see. However, I believe this was an opportunity for me to reflect and consider my heart and relationship with the Lord.
Clinging to the Lord
Clinging to God sounds like desperation. It sounds like holding on for dear life. There are times where it has felt like that. When I met my friend, I was carrying some heaviness from other things going on in my life. I wear my heart on my face, let alone my sleeve! Everyone knows when something is wrong! When I considered her words afterwards, I realised I had been clinging on, and I was feeling fragile and distant from the Lord.
Initially, I thought I must not trust Jesus well if I looked like I am clinging on. Of course we should be resting in His love for us. Yet there are times when He may feel far off. That could be because our sin has turned our gaze to lesser loves. But God is faithful to forgive our sin when we confess it and repent from it by turning to Him again. Maybe we have neglected to spend time in His Word and prayer, so naturally, our relationship with our Father feels distant.
I admit there have been other things that have taken their place in my affections which has hindered that closeness I long for with God. In His mercy, grace, and love, He has brought it to my attention. Like David, my cry echoed out: “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1). And He is truly living water who quenches the dryness of my spirit.
As I read the Bible, I see instances of clinging to the Lord. David writes, “I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:8). In Joshua 23:8 it says the Israelites are to not turn to false gods, but “…cling to the LORD your God just as you have done to this day”. We are to hold fast to Him, to remain in Him, and abide in Him, as Jesus taught. To follow Jesus means to be acquainted with sorrow in this life. But He tells us to take heart for He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Sorrow is not the end of the story. It’s part of the story, but it is not the soundtrack. It is one song on an album brimming with hopeful harmonies and melodious moments.
When we first learn to ice-skate, we cling onto the sides. When we are learning to dance, we may spend more time looking at our feet, rather than dancing. But as we continue, step-by-step, we learn to let go of the sides and look up to what it in front of us. We are then free to skate and gracefully move.
Likewise, life will give us ample opportunity to cling onto many different things, and look at everyone and everything else but Christ. It will convince us to hold onto the treasures and the temptations of the world with both hands. But Jesus is a gentle, kind, patient and faithful leader. He will whisper to us to let go of the comfort and false assurance of this life. By faith, we can hold His hands, look into His eyes, and follow His lead across the ice-rink and dancefloor of our life.
Carried by the Lord
Rather than leaving us cleaving to the side, Jesus is the one who is holding us and pulling us into the action. We do not need to fear (although we do at times!) In Deuteronomy 33:27 it says, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms”. There is no safer or greater place to be than in the arms of Jesus. Yes, I am to hold fast and stand firm in faith. But I am not doing it solo. I have one who is leading me, just like one who leads in a dance. One leads. The other follows. The Lord leads. I follow.
When life feels hectic and stressful, as I am spinning around and perhaps flung out in a spin, my Father still has my hand. He is holding onto me, even when my life feels as if it is spinning out of control, whether mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually. My Father never lets me go.
There are moments when I am so tired that I cannot seem to take another step. I believe in my most weakest moments, my Father remains strong. He lifts me onto His feet like a child standing upon their father’s black, polished dancing shoes. He moves gracefully with my dog-tired feet on top of His, and we sway. I press my face into my Father’s chest, and can hear His beating heart; it is firm, faithful, unwavering, and everlasting as He carries me across His eternal dancefloor.
Continuing on with the Lord
As we waltz together, the Lord leads me gently. He knows every step that I need to take and He is with me every step of the way. He knows when I am weary. He knows when I am prone to drift aimlessly, yet He still holds my hand. He has already made provision for every wrong turn, terrible dance move, and any twisted ankles accumulated along the way. No mood or move shift of mine can stop my unchanging Father. No mistake can make Him prise His hand away.
Therefore every step of my life, I can pray to remain in step with Him. Not because I am at risk of losing my place or falling. But because I am to abide in His love; He is where all the abundance, goodness, and joyfulness of a full and rich life are found. He is the wellspring of every blessing.
We all know how beautiful, mesmerising, and enchanting it is to watch two people in seamless flow, dancing together in sync, lost in the dance. When I follow Jesus, I am trusting that He is leading me. As I hold onto Him, sometimes with a weak and wobbly grip, He holds me fast. As I draw near to Him, He draws near to me, and as I seek to do what pleases Him, I will look more and more like the One who leads me. He will not let me go. It is a beautiful relationship between a Father and His beloved daughter — like a wedding dance set in motion before the foundation of the world.
An Eternal Song To Dance To
So, what now? By faith, I continue to follow the upward call of Christ (Philippians 3:14). I strive for the things above and keep my mind set on there, not on earthly things (Colossians 3:1-2). It will require humility and surrender, and it is a spiritual battle, but God’s absolute best for me is to look to Him, follow Him, trust Him, rest in Him, and yes, cling to Him by faith.
As I follow Him, I will say no to other things that are not where God is leading me. I will be misunderstood. I’ve swallowed that pill many times for sure. I may drift at times as I am enticed by my own sin or get distracted by lesser loves. But any sin or shame I experience has been defeated on the cross. His nail-scarred hands remain locked onto me and my wayward, ungraceful dance moves. Ultimately, as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit invite me into their eternal song of love, I am free to dance along to the rhythm of a resurrected life.
Nothing in my hand I bring
From the hymn ‘Rock of Ages’
Simply to the cross I cling.
Ruth Clemence 