Day 76

Numbers 35-36 | John 10:22-42

Jesus stood in the temple courts, surrounded.

The Jewish leaders had Him cornered, pressing for an answer:

“How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” (John 10:24)

But Jesus had already told them. Over and over again. Through His words. Through His works. Through miracles that should have made the answer obvious.

“I told you, and you do not believe.” (John 10:25)

And then He said something staggering:

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29)

No one.

Not the Pharisees. Not the Romans. Not Satan himself.

If you belong to Jesus, you are held by a grip that cannot fail.

And that truth has taken on new meaning for me.

When Your Grip Gives Out

Since my accident, I’ve had to relearn how to grip things.

I remember the first time I tried to pick up a cup of coffee. I could close my fingers around it, but the moment I tried to lift it? It slipped right through. My hand simply couldn’t hold on.

And I hate that feeling. The helplessness of watching something fall from my grasp. The frustration of knowing what I want to do but being unable to do it.

And it’s not just my hand.

How often have I felt that way in my faith?

Trying to hold on to God—only to feel my grip slipping?

Trying to cling to hope—only to find my strength failing?

Trying to trust Him—only to be overwhelmed by fear?

And yet, in those moments, this is what I’ve come to realize:

The strength of my faith doesn’t depend on my grip.

It depends on His.

No One Can Take You from Him

Jesus didn’t say: “My sheep are strong enough to hold on to Me.”

He said: “No one will snatch them out of My hand.”

Because our security doesn’t rest in our ability to cling to Him. It rests in His ability to hold us.

And this changes everything.

If my salvation depended on my grip, I’d lose it a thousand times a day.

If my standing before God depended on my strength, I’d be lost.

But Jesus doesn’t lose His sheep.

Not the weak ones. Not the fearful ones. Not the ones who stumble and struggle and wonder if they’ll ever get it right.

If you belong to Him, you are held.

Held when you’re weary.

Held when you’re afraid.

Held when you fail.

Held when you don’t feel worthy.

Because the power of your salvation isn’t in your hands.

It’s in His.

Safe in the Hands of the Father

I think of how often my daughter, Sophia, used to reach for my hand when she was little. If we were walking across a parking lot, she would grab hold of my fingers, trusting that I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

But there were times she would let go.

She’d get distracted. She’d loosen her grip.

And in those moments, my response was never, “Well, I guess you’re on your own now.”

No—I held onto her.

Her safety wasn’t in her ability to hold onto me.

It was in my ability to hold onto her.

And that’s exactly what Jesus says about our place in the Father’s hands.

“No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:29)

Not our weakness.

Not our sin.

Not our doubts.

Nothing is stronger than the hand of God.

Who Are You Trusting?

The Pharisees couldn’t believe what Jesus was saying.

They wanted control. They wanted security on their own terms.

And so they rejected the only One who could truly hold them.

But we have a choice.

Will we keep trying to hold onto life by our own strength?

Or will we rest in the hands of the Shepherd who will never let us go?

Because at the end of the day, your grip will fail you.

But His never will.

Lord, thank You that my security isn’t based on my strength, but Yours. When I feel my grip slipping, remind me that You are holding me. And nothing—nothing—can take me from Your hand. Amen.