“… let us hold fast our confession [of faith and cling tenaciously to our absolute trust in Him as Savior].”
Hebrews 4:14 AMP
When I think of the word “cling,” I picture a child holding onto an adult for dear life, unwilling to let go or be put down. If you’ve been around children much, you’ve probably experienced this – you may have had to peel their hands and legs off of you just to set them down. That’s the image that comes to mind when I read this passage in the Amplified version – fiercely grabbing onto Him, unwilling to let go.
The Greek word for hold fast or cling is krateō: to hold tightly, not to discard or let go; to keep carefully and faithfully.
I can’t help think tonight of situations where I’ve seen people cling to one another – situations like a wife clinging to her husband as he prepares to leave for an overseas deployment, a child holding tightly to their parents legs when in a new environment, and a family member tightly embracing someone who departed life too soon. The emotions of fear and love drive us to grasp the other, and a sense of desperation tightens our hold.
Life has a way of making us desperate – either desperately in love or desperately afraid. But always the clinging is an action taken or initiated by just one person which may or may not be reciprocated.
I believe clinging is a posture of worship. As our pastor said Sunday, the posture of worship is when we go low and G-d goes high. It’s hard for someone to cling to another when their hands are full of other things. To cling, we have to let go of the burdens we are carrying. Likewise, when we worship, we get low, under our burdens, worries, and doubts and place ourselves at His feet. It’s in the position of holding fast to Him, when we’ve emptied our hands from the burdens of the world, allowing us to grasp His presence completely, that we experience hope, healing, and freedom, true freedom. More of Him. Less of me. Always.
Father – thank You for opening Your Word to me once again. Help me to cling to You alone, not the things of this world. You are good and You keep doing good. Your leadership in my life of perfect and You can be trusted.
Daily Reading: Hebrews 1-6
December 21, 2022