Before I was discharged from the hospital I had to satisfy the physiotherapist that my muscles were functioning, that I could walk and that I could manage stairs. I was in no doubt about either of these but it was all part of the care provided. I couldn’t help coming out with a few funnies around never thinking I would see the day when I needed to be assessed on my ability to climb stairs and the physiotherapist entered into the spirit of things. But I’m sure she also had experience of Smart Alecs like me who thought there was nothing wrong with them only to find themselves unceremoniously dumped on their butts. That was why during the whole procedure she stayed close, especially on the stairs.
Psalm 73 provides a vision of a God who stays close. The Psalmist is going through a crisis of faith but finds resolution as he joins the worshippers in the sanctuary and celebrates his personal relationship with God:
‘Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.’ (verses 23-26)
This stands against those who speak of ‘the God of the Old Testament’, distant, cold, wrathful, judgmental. Here He is holding His servant by his right hand and guiding him towards a future glowing with His goodness and love. Along the way this God will supply His servant with all the resources that are needed for every challenge. ‘You hold me by my right hand.‘
Later Jesus as the Good Shepherd would say:
‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.’ (John 10: 27-29)
When the physiotherapist is putting us through our paces we need to know that her support is there. God’s Word assures us that every moment we are held by our Heavenly Father.
