Jesus Hold You

It's a prayer.  A 3-word prayer.  "Jesus hold you." And I prayed it a lot this summer.  Yes, I know, something isn't right about the grammar.

If you've read my earlier blog posts, you may remember one about William's favorite phrases.  A common one became "Amma hold you!" (Or substitute "Mommy" or "Daddy"). At first it was literal and meant "I want you to hold me."  But later, it was just an expression of need.  Something is wrong! I don't like this! I need comfort! Or even, I don't know what I need or want or how to ask for it! Help! He would even say it while he was being held.

Often during this summer I felt like William when it came to prayer.  I just didn’t have the right words or even know exactly what I was asking. 

I thought about one of my favorite verses:

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans." Romans 8:26

And if there was ever I time I felt weak and didn’t know what I ought to pray – this was it.  And God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is like a loving parent, a mother and a father, that comforts his children.

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

Isaiah 66:13 NIV

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

Romans 8:15-16 NIV

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" I John 3:1a

So, knowing these promises, I just said “Jesus hold you. Jesus hold you. Jesus hold you.”  And my prayer was honored.

Now that I am back in a place where I can pray more carefully worded, thought-out prayers, I don’t know that there will ever be a more sincere one that the 3-word one.  Or maybe I’ll get really wordy:

Father hold you. Jesus hold you.  Spirit hold you. Amen.

“He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.”

Psalm 18:16 NIV