Gripped

I was working on my tennis serve. My husband stood on the other side of the court, giving me pointers on how to hit a slice that could be (his word) “unreturn-able”. He placed a water bottle in the service box so I could aim toward the receiver’s forehand side – short and wide. The key, he said, was racket speed, a toss to the right and a follow through as I had never done in my fifty-plus years of playing.

Soon my serves were coming close to the water bottle and I began to fancy myself as Serena or Roger. But just then my sweaty hand on my sweaty grip lost the racket and flung it, alongside the ball, toward the net. My poor racket slammed into the court with quite a clank. (Serena and Roger would have been impressed.) The over-grip had unraveled and the perimeter of my racket was contorted and cracked. (It should be noted, however, that my slice serve was indeed unreturn-able — mainly due to the fact that it did not go over the net.)

I once received an email from a woman who signed her name with an interesting phrase- “In His grip”. I love that phrase. These are dark days – where good and evil are battling right before our eyes. We see images of a despot with evil intent inflicting suffering and death, while brave men and women, accountants and bricklayers just last week, strive to defend their land against insurmountable forces.

In the face of such evil, there is one truth we can rely on. The God of angel armies is able to grip us tighter than any human hand. In our fear and discouragement, we can even let our hand go limp and discover that His grows tighter. God’s single caveat is that we give up our hand and the need to control. Only then can He tend to our wracked soul and envelop us in peace that overrides headlines.

For earthly grips fray and rackets fly where they should never go. But the grip of our God is faithful and true. Raise your hand this day and trust Him and Him alone.

Staying In His Grip.