God Promises His Presence

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (NIV) We were on a bus, on our way home from visiting the Vancouver Zoo. A father and son boarded, and the dad had a big bag of popcorn. “Can I have some popcorn?” the son asked. “Hold out your hands,” the dad replied. The boy opened up both hands as wide as he could. “Open wider,” said the dad. The little boy strained to open his hands wide. Then the dad dropped one single popcorn kernel into the boy’s hands . . . and laughed! That reminded me of a story I read about a man selling cherries. Along came a little boy who really loved cherries but had no money. The kind seller told the boy he could have some anyways and told the boy to hold out his hands. But the boy wouldn’t do it. Eventually the man reached down, took the child’s hands and filled them with cherries. Later, the boy’s grandmother asked why he had refused to hold out his hands. The boy replied, “Because his hands are bigger than mine!” That story seems a little confusing, but we are often like the second boy, and should be more like the first. God’s hands are bigger than ours, and He is like the cherry seller, not like the father. We should have open hands to receive His gifts and blessings to the maximum. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matt. 7:9-11). Through Christ, who demonstrated His great love for us on the cross, God’s hands are full for you. His hands are big enough to give you all you would ever need to live happily in His presence! – Terry Hall Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org