OUR DAILY BREAD             Monday, July 10, 1995   
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READ:  Psalm 145:14-21   


                      IN HIS HAND

        "No one is able to snatch them out of     
                  my Father's hand."

                           -- John 10:29    

Author Henri Nouwen writes about Jean Vanier, who liked
to tell a story illustrating our need for intimacy with
God.  Nouwen comments, "When Jean Vanier speaks about 
that intimate place, he often stretches out his arm and
cups his hand as if it holds a small, wounded bird.  He
asks, 'What will happen if I open my hand fully?'  We
say, 'The bird will try to flutter its wings, and it
will fall and die.'

"Then he asks, 'But what if I close my hand?'  We say,
'The bird will be crushed and die.'  Then he smiles and
says, 'An intimate place is like my cupped hand, neither
totally open nor totally closed.  It is the space where
growth can take place.'"

Certainly God's powerful hand is to be feard and 
respected.  But for the faithful believer, God's hand
is also a place of rest and refuge.  When we realize
that we are safe in His hand, we can enjoy the secure
and untroubled calm He intends for us.

In the hollow of God's hand we are in the place of 
intimacy and growth and security.  God will neither
crush us nor let us fall abandoned.  No one -- not the
devil nor our enemies -- can take us out of His hand
(Jn. 10:29).  In the intimacy of His presence, we need
not be afraid.

                                -- David C. Egner

        My times are in my Father's hand;
        How could I wish or ask for more?
        For He who has my pathway planned
       Will guide me till my journey's o'er.

                                -- Fraser

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          THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 
-------------------------------------
          When we trust in God,
His power is not frightening but comforting.
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THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:   Psalms 145-147

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