Hold On!
Hold On!
It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. (Deuteronomy 13:4)
The book of Deuteronomy contains Moses’ parting words to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land. This verse is repeated almost verbatim several times throughout this book. I've learned that when something is repeated in God’s Word, we should pay attention; it’s something important. I also noticed the word “must” is used. He’s not suggesting we follow and revere God; these are commandments.
Taking the key words one at a time, let’s look at their meanings and how they are translated in other versions.
Other versions translate “follow” as “walk after” or “worship.”
“Revere” in other versions is translated as: fear; reverently fear; fear [and worship] Him [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect]; hold him in deep reverence.
Strong’s definition of “fear” is: to fear, revere, be afraid; to stand in awe of, be awed; to fear, reverence, honor, respect.
The next phrase is “Keep his commands and obey him.” In other versions, this phrase reads “keep His commandments and obey His voice” or “keep His commandments and listen to His voice.”
Strong’s definitions are:
Keep: to keep, guard, observe, give heed
Obey: to hear, listen to, obey
Serve him: to work, serve; to work for another, serve another by labor; to serve as subjects
Hold On!
The next phrase is our main focus: “and hold fast to Him.” In other versions, this reads cling to, be loyal, cleave, hold on for dear life.
Webster’s definitions:
Hold: to have or keep in the hand; keep fast; grasp
Cling: to adhere closely; stick to; to hold tight, as by grasping or embracing; cleave
Cleave: to adhere closely; stick; cling to; to remain faithful to
Strong’s definitions:
to cling, stick, stay close, cleave, keep close, stick to, stick with, follow closely, join to, overtake, catch
Roller Coaster
As I thought about holding on for dear life, I pictured being on a roller coaster—one of the original roller coasters that didn't have the shoulder harnesses and the seat belts that we have now. All you had was the grab bar. When you top the hill and pick up speed on your way down, your stomach is still up there at the top. And then you're whipped back up again, and you're holding on to that grab bar for dear life. One thing I noticed is that when we're holding on for dear life, we're holding on with both hands. We may need to let go of something else in order to hold on—cling to, cleave, adhere closely—with both hands, as if our life depends on it. It can feel risky to let go of something that has given us a sense of security, but it is absolutely necessary because our real security is in Him. He’s the One that we're holding on to with all of our might, as if our life depends on it.
We have to let go in order to hold on for dear life.
Hold Fast to Him
And who are we holding onto? We’re holding on for dear life to God – the God who:
Is our protector
Is our provider
Is always with us
Is faithful—always does what He says He’ll do
Is the same yesterday, today and forever
Is unrelenting in His love and compassion for us.
Challenge:
My challenge for you today is to ask the Holy Spirit what you need to let go of in order to hold fast to Him. Do you need to let go of:
The image of your creative project?
Your timeline for completion of the project you’re currently working on?
Maybe it seems to have nothing to with your current creative project:
House?
Car?
Your time?
Fear, doubt, anxiety, procrastination?
Ask the Holy Spirit what you need to let go of, and write it down. Then tear it up into little pieces and let go of it so you can grab onto Him and hold on for dear life.
Blessing
I bless you to hear clearly as the Holy Spirit guides you to release what you need to let go of, so you can hold onto Him for dear life.
