There are people whose great fear of entering upon a religious life is that they shall not hold on and hold out. They see something of the dangers and difficulties in their way, and have no conception of the mighty forces which are leagued together for their good. They fear they shall let go, and that having started in the heavenly course they shall fail and falter and fall. If they only knew the love of God, and His power to keep and save, they would dismiss many of their fears, and rejoice in His unfailing grace.
The sailor does not distress himself for fear that he cannot hold on to his anchor; he expects the anchor to hold him amid the fury of the storm. The sheep do not keep the shepherd, the shepherd keeps the sheep. The child may throw its arms about the father’s neck, but its clasp is weak and it might fall but around about and underneath the little one are clasped the father’s strong arms, and the child is safe.
“Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” As the shepherd watches his flock by day and night, so the Almighty Keeper watches over His wayward ones. As the hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and shields them from every harm and ill, so the child of God who lodges beneath the shadow of the Almighty is covered by His feathers and sheltered by His wings. As the arms of the Father encompass and uphold the child, so to Israel it is said: “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”
The trusting Christian commits himself to God for salvation and for preservation. He is kept by the power of God, by the grace of Him who is able to keep him from falling, and present him before the presence of His glory, faultless and with exceeding joy. It will be a glad day for many Christian hearts when they have learned the lesson of their utter helplessness, and have committed the keeping of their souls to Him in well-doing “as unto a faithful Creator.” Then whatever of sorrow, trial, toil or tears may come, all will be well. We shall be “kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation.” Instead of holding fast our hope, our hope will hold us fast; instead of holding on to the Lord with our trembling and feeble clasp, we shall find that He holds us with a grasp of never-failing power, and loves us with an everlasting love. No one can pluck the sheep of His pasture from the grasp of that Almighty hand; trusting in Him they are safe from every ill.