Built to Battle – Sometimes we just need to be held

I named this column “Built to Battle” because I spent much of my life not knowing how to battle, giving up, or trying to battle things in my own ability instead of the Lord’s with His weapons of warfare.

But, today, someone needs to know that there is a time to be held.

Held.

Held.

Just held.

There are times in which we aren’t giving up, we are just being held.

Held.

Held by the hand of the Almighty who put the stars in their places and formed planets at His words.

Held by the hands that bear nail scars.

Held by the hands of the savior who is near to the broken-hearted.

Held in the way we hold our own children when they are weary and broken.

I think of my son and the times I give him a pep talk, pray over him, chastise him, push him, encourage him, discipline him, ready him for battle, give him a verse, proclaim, push some more for him to move forward. And then there are the times I just hold him.

No words.

No lectures.

No life lessons.

No pushing.

Not even encouragement. Not even praying out loud.

I know he just needs to feel me near without any expectation.

I know when he reaches this point.

In my poor human sight, I know. In my clouded human understanding, I know.

I know when he just needs to be held.

Yet, I often don’t know when I need to be just held.

Our Father knows the moment we need to be held.

He knows when the weight of this fallen world presses us, wearies us, pushes us past our human ability to endure.

It requires but one thing from us: submission.

While we are built to battle, war, overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony — we are also built to be in relationship with the Father above everything else.

And that means being held.