By Melissa McLaughlin
My fingers wrapped around the warm mug as I plopped down at the kitchen table. The smell of coffee drifted toward me. Sunlight streamed through the kitchen window. Our young black cat, Cookie, napped on her fleece bed in the corner.
I gulped down the last drops of coffee in a hurry to start my day. As I stood, the chair skidded. “Screeeech.”
Cookie’s head snapped up. With feline instincts in full force, Cookie darted off to the family room. Bright green eyes peeked around the corner at me. On high alert, her body froze in a guarded stance.
“Cookie,” my husband whispered from the family room. “Here kitty.”
Cookie treaded cautiously toward him. Step by step. Cookie drew near the gray recliner where my husband sat. Her soft paws stretched toward my husband’s leg.
“Come up, Cookie,” my husband cooed. She eyed her surroundings. When all seemed clear, Cookie leaped into his lap. Her tense muscles relaxed as she nestled against him.
My husband reached toward Cookie’s head, then paused. He knew Cookie would be frightened if he attempted to pet her with full strength.
My husband inched his hand toward Cookie’s head as if in slow motion. With the lightest touch possible, his finger brushed against her fur. His restrained stroke felt as gentle as a breath of wind.
Cookie didn’t even flinch. Her body melted. With a contented purr, she lifted her face so my husband could scratch behind her ears.
The soothing sound of my husband’s calming voice and the delicate touch of his hand transformed this scaredy cat into a ball of cuddles.
This tender scene reminded me of God’s all-powerful, yet transforming touch in our lives.
How Does God Reach for Us?
Certainly, we can’t comprehend God’s greatness.
Have you ever tried to count the stars? According to NASA, scientists estimate our galaxy, the Milky Way, has more than 100 billion stars.
Yet, that’s just the beginning. Space.com reports that between 100-200 billion galaxies exist in our vast universe.
Imagine the hand of God who created such immense glory.
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.
Incredibly, the God who positioned each star and calls forth the starry host by name knows your name. Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV) – Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.
Astonishingly, the hand that shaped the galaxies formed your frame. Psalm 139:13-14 (NIV) – For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
And this same Creator bends low to reach for us.
Imagine how God must restrain His power, lest He crush us.
Consequently, God extended Himself toward us through the hands of Jesus.
Christ’s arms stretched toward us upon a wooden cross. As blood gushed from His body, He diverted the judgment for our sins onto Himself.
With His broken body, our Savior spanned the deep chasm that separated us from our holy Father God.
The King of the universe bent low to come for us. May you see His gentle fingerprints of love strewn through all your days.
Psalm 40:1 (ESV) – I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 40:17 (ESV) – As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me.
Psalm 116:1-2 (NLT) – I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!
Do you have a memory of God’s greatness or His gentle touch in your life? I’d love to hear your story!
Testimony for My Readers:
Praise the Lord! I received this exciting news from Rev. Dan Alford and his family this week. The Alford family committed to reading The Whole Bible Devotional together beginning on March 1st. Their family group is 14 people! They graciously invited my husband and me to join their text group for accountability and encouragement. What a blessing!
May the Alford family inspire you and your family!
The Whole Bible Devotional Zoom Bible Study Group:
To that end, my husband and I are starting a Zoom Bible study using The Whole Bible Devotional.
The Zoom Bible study will meet on Tuesdays from 7:00-8:30pm Eastern Time. We will use the free downloadable Small Group Study Guide for our discussion questions.
Daily readings from The Whole Bible Devotional will begin on Saturday, March 1st.
The Zoom Bible Study will begin on Tuesday, March 4th.
If you would like to join our Zoom Bible study group, please email me at: [email protected]. Or consider starting your own group with church, family, and friends!
God bless you as you respond to the Savior who is reaching for you!
I loved the story of the kitty and the picture it paints of how God reaches for us. His love and gentleness is amazing. Thanks for sharing the lovely messsge Melissa
I find it hard to imagine God’s greatness. But when I ponder the universe for a bit, I feel I can grasp a hint of His power. Yet that all-powerful God humbled Himself as a man to save us, with His own blood. No greater gift! God bless you, Yvonne!
Beautiful message of God’s love. I’m thankful that He reaches for me when I am lost. Have a blessed week dear friend. 🙂
Amen, Melissa! What a comfort to know God reaches for us with power and tenderness. God bless you, dear friend!
God bless you Melissa. Need this today. Need him every minute of every day. Psalms 40:17 …Lord, thank you for this Holy Word & for this Sister. Amen.
God bless you, Mike! God’s holy Word is powerful. May we seek the nourishment from His Word, Spirit, and Son minute by minute! Amen.
What a beautiful story! How comforting to dwell on it and our Creator, our Rock!
Father, when I am frightened, You are there. You are there before me. Thank You, LORD, for calming me, for soothing me, for loving me…AMEN!
Amen, Chebba! What peace we have when we look to the Lord for our comfort, love, and protection. God bless you!
Thank you Lord for your gentleness and love.
Amen. He has loved us with an everlasting love. He reaches for us with gentleness.
So beautiful! Thank you for this. It has touched me. 🤍🙏🕊️✝️
God bless you, dear Audre! Thank you for reading and offering an encouraging word. May God bless you!
What a beautiful representation of God’s tender love for us! How precious and sweet! Thank you for this stirring and lovely piece.
Isn’t God amazing and wonderful! There are endless ways to describe the wonders of His power and His gentle love. God bless you, Jessica!
I love how you captured our amazement by comparing how God created and knows the stars to how He does the same for us. And what a praise about your book and Rev. Alford. Very awesome. God is good, isn’t He? Of course He is. 🙂
When we think about the vastness, weight, and wonder of the universe, we get the smallest glimpse of God’s glory. How awesome is our God and His love for us! I’m thanking God for Rev. Alford’s family using The Whole Bible Devotional. What a blessing! Yes, indeed- God is good! God bless you and your family, Stephen!
Melissa, this is a soul-stirring post and analogy. I’m so thankful God reached for me through His Son, Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
Also, a young man I work with told me he was trying to read through the Bible his grandmother gave him before she passed away. He’s not a believer and started at the beginning saying how difficult it was for him to read. I encouraged him to read the gospel of John for now. And he has your devotional as a gift from me….and you!
Appreciate your prayers for Matthew.
Dear Karen, thank you for letting me know. I’m lifting Matthew in prayer right now. May God add His blessing as Matthew reads the Scriptures and prayers. I pray it illuminates Jesus more and more.
God bless you for your life and ministry, Karen!