Thanking God that He promises to hold me fast

Abba Father, I’m clinging to who You are today. Thank You. For You are not only the eternal, sovereign, and holy, holy, holy God of all power and might, but You are always my perfectly loving Father.

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all (1 Chron. 29:11 ESV).

In my anguish today, I join my Savior in praying…

“Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mk. 14:36 ESV).

I’m easily scared and weary of my suffering, but at the same time, I’m in wonder and thanksgiving. I hurt but I’m also in awe and grateful that You made me Your heir in the Son, because “sons” receive the inheritance. I hurt but “held fast” in Christ now…and forever.

Thank You, Father, for this is Your work within me.

I am precious in His sight,

He will hold me fast;

Those He saves are His delight,

He will hold me fast.

(“He Will Hold Me Fast,” Habershon, A. R., 1906)

Thanking God for saving me from sin

I’m sick and tired of my own sin, so blatantly obvious when my body and mind are sick and tired. I’m also so easily fixated on the evil and sin of this fallen world…it all makes things so much worse.

This is all so hard. And You know that.

Thank You, my all-knowing and merciful Father.

Help me to see the whole of Your entire unchanging essence, my King, as Your daughter who is a “son,” one whose inheritance is sure, by Your great grace and gift.

Help me to continually re-turn my every sinful thought, word, and deed back to the cross where Jesus took my place, in Your covenant, steadfast, and abiding love for me. Help me to pray for those who are still your enemies, remembering that I am not your enemy any longer.

I’m in wonder that You’ve done it all for me. You’ve brought me into Your royal family by Your gracious gift of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:8-9 ESV, emphasis added).

When I fear my faith will fail,

Christ will hold me fast;

When the tempter would prevail,

He can hold me fast!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! 

According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 

to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 

who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Pet. 1:3-5 ESV, emphasis added).

Your great and tender mercy toward me caused me to be born again to my heavenly inheritance, one for royalty! You promise it’s “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” because You are guarding it right now by Your power! Even more remarkable, the royal privileges to me are my “living hope” as I suffer because Jesus is resurrected and alive. And when will it be revealed? As I watch the verb tenses, I marvel!

Thank You, Lord, for this is all Your work within me, on my hardest days!

I so often feel alone, but thank You for Your trustworthy gospel promises 

By Your abundant grace, You promise that Your royal family members are Your purposefully chosen, adopted “fellow heirs” with Jesus Christ, and we now suffer on earth, but “with Him” (Rom. 8:14-17 ESV).

He’ll not let my soul be lost,

Christ will hold me fast;

Bought by Him at such a cost,

He will hold me fast.

Therefore, I join my royal family in… 

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:13-14 ESV, emphasis added).

I could never keep my hold,

He must hold me fast;

For my love is often cold,

He must hold me fast.

Thank You for holding me fast as You did Jesus, Abba Father

You did this in Your great love for me so I would be “holy and blameless” through my union with Jesus (Eph. 1:4-5 ESV).

And somehow, this suffering context is part of it today, a mini-molecule of being “crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:20 ESV). But I’m never alone as I suffer. You gave me Your Holy Spirit to inwardly shape me into this “holy and blameless” heir, sealed by Him “for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30 ESV).

So, keep me from grieving Him as I suffer (Eph. 4:30). Help me to “believe in the name of [Your] Son Jesus Christ and to love one another” by the Spirit You’ve given me (1 Jn. 3:23-24 ESV). For my Savior loves me so. And I love Him.

He will hold me fast,

He will hold me fast;

For my Savior loves me so,

He will hold me fast.

Oh Father, thank You for the many promises of Your gospel good news! Into today’s suffering and yes, any suffering that tomorrow might bring, thank You for holding me fast, Father.

For this, this is all Your glorious work of grace, within me. In the name of my Lord and Savior in whom I have this inheritance and beautiful union, Jesus Christ, amen.

Material adapted from Praying God’s Promises Into Suffering: A Devotional Bible Study Prayer Journal, Lauri A. Hogle, © 2023

Resources that encourage us to thank our God, as we suffer

As my brain surgery approaches next week, the promises and assurances we have in the gospel as those who belong to Jesus Christ, have become the most precious gifts of His strengthening and “couraging into” work within.

How could we ever thank God enough for who He is and what He’s done for us? The battles of suffering are so strong, as the enemy lies to tempt us to hopelessness or bitterness or thinking He’s mad at us or that we’ve somehow “lost our faith” if we’re suffering.

But what is true? What does He promise to us as His heirs in Jesus Christ? Let’s think on those things!

Let’s come to the cross of Jesus together, by His Spirit within, asking for His help to be able to say “thank You,” even in this hard season of suffering. I’m right there alongside you, in our continual need for Him.

The resources below have been His gifts to me, now shared with you. If you’re new to our nonprofit ministry, I’m praying He holds you fast with them as well. We are so loved and absolutely held fast in Christ.