What if hope's not a rope you hold on to
What if it's the arms that have always held you
(I'm leaning)
On the edge when it feels like you're not gonna pull through
Is the place you discover that hope's gonna find you
Hope's gonna find you
I'm leaning, I'm leaning
On the Everlasting Arms
I'm leaning, I'm leaning
I could never fall too far
I'm leaning, I'm leaning
On the Everlasting Arms
I'm leaning, I'm leaning
I could never fall
~"Hope's Gonna Find You" by Ellie Holcomb
Recently this new song from Ellie Holcomb has been on repeat in my head. It’s been a rough life patch recently; one of my closest friends has been very sick and in the hospital. I thought maybe this song was pulling me through that, but today I realized it’s encouragement for even more.
The verse where “everlasting arms” comes from is found in Deuteronomy 33:27: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, ‘Destroy them!’” (NIV). It’s part of the blessing over the tribe of Asher that Moses gave them from God before they would enter the Promised Land and Moses would die.
Side note: The song also blends in the old hymn, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” 🙂
I think we often treat hope like a rope we cling to, an action that requires our own bodily strength to hold to so that it doesn’t slip out of our hands. It requires us to hold ourselves together… which is never what we were asked to do.
God has never asked us to hold ourselves together. He has always said, “I am here. Come to Me. Cast that on Me. Let Me carry that for you. Underneath are the everlasting arms. I am your refuge and strong tower. I will catch you.”
Don’t believe me? Check out these verses:
- Matthew 11:28-30
- 1 Peter 5:7
- Psalm 46:1
- Proverbs 18:10
We aren’t designed to carry every burden and weight by ourselves. We should let go because the Everlasting Arms are going to catch us–and those arms belong to Jesus.
So, friend, honestly, today’s takeaway should be this: don’t just hold on. Don’t just cling. But instead, let go and fall into those everlasting arms. They are strong enough to carry you through whatever you are going through today.
I’m leaning on the everlasting arms. The things I’m clinging to that I shouldn’t be? I’m going to work to let them go and let Him carry me through.
I hope you’ll join me.
Blessings,
~Lynne
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