Take my Hand and Lead my On

After walking for years down the road of life alone, what a glorious moment it was when my small, baby-sized hand slid into God’s mighty, guiding hand the day of my salvation. Throughout the years as we traveled, He never left my side and never let go of my hand. Oh, certainly there were times where, as a fascinated child, I tried to wriggle my little hand from His, but His firm grip held fast as the alluring pleasures slipped by ever so quickly. Numerous times His firm hold kept me from the fleeting pleasures of the world and directed me on the right path with eternal rewards in the end. With my reaching for the temporal, He constantly pulled me to Himself reassuring me of His capability to provide me with the best.
At times, I reluctantly followed my all-wise Leader, like a child being pulled away from a pet store window, and at other times, I charged ahead seemingly pulling my Guide to the next bigger and better thing. Yet, through it all, our hands never released their enjoined position. He put up with my fighting with a gentle tug drawing close His side.
Without worries or cares throughout part of our journey through life, our hands hung relaxed at our sides or swung happily in the air, yet those same hands could be seen later on in our journey with white knuckles – the times where allurements that I followed so quickly after did not make the difficult paths any easier.
At times, the path was slippery where I could not get a firm step in of my own and would stumble and fall, but my sure-footed Guide pulled me up those precarious paths with divine strength, and I would cling to Him vowing I would never again wander far from His side.
Yet, further down the road of life, after following my own desires, plans and dreams, I found myself without a foot-hold with a chasm below my dangling feet, and while over such an abyss crying for forgiveness, the strong hand of the Lord, continually with His hand securely holding mine, would again pull me safely to Himself. Throughout all the fascinations, the slippery paths, and the numerous times I stumbled and fell, my God was always there holding my hand and leading me on.
Throughout the path of life, as even now it winds and twists and the next step is not certain, I can walk with confidence with my hand in the mighty hand of my all-knowing Guide, knowing that He will never leave. With Him always by my side, I can face the difficult road with this prayer always on my lips: “Take my hand and lead me on.”