“Touch with your eyes, not with your hands.”
Did your mom ever tell you that? My brother and I always heard that familiar, reproachful phrase when we set foot in the Science Museum gift shop. That catchy (albeit odd) little phrase frustrated my 6-year-old mind to no end. It was the one time I wanted so badly to touch everything in sight, and mom said no. She just didn’t appreciate the wonders in that gift shop! There were bins of black shark teeth, and bouncy balls with insects inside, magnets, stuffed koala bears, and tiger figurines. And, most enticing, those colored rock candies spilling out of jars onto the glass counter. We can’t touch it?! Ah, it was sheer torture.
I was dreadfully discontent to keep my hands to myself in that little museum gift shop. How then, I must wonder, do I bear to merely “touch with my eyes” all the glorious heavenly riches I have in Christ, given to me… for free?
I can often approach God’s promises with a museum gift shop mentality. “Touch with your eyes, not with your hands.” I will approach His promises—magnificent, time-tested, life-giving—with a heart of gratitude, but a mentality of moderation. I say, ”This is the only promise I need for today” or ”I’ll just nibble at this particular promise for a while to tide me over.” Or I’ll listen attentively on a Sunday morning, jotting down every single eternal truth, nodding appreciatively, but not excitedly. After all, I know this like the back of my hand.
Of course, knowing my blind, carnal heart, the Lord has recently brought these verses to me. Oh, dear friends, think with me on these promises…
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness… He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature. – 2 Peter 1:3-4a
The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, ‘Destroy him!’ – Deut. 33:27
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. – 2 Cor. 9:8
(to name so very few)
Soul, these are true! And these are yours! All of them at once! Authentic, untarnished, heaven-direct, bought, and sealed promises with your name on them, hand-written in the blood of the Promise-Keeper Himself.
Fathom the depths of the riches you have in Christ! He is wealth—all these wondrous promises are wrapped up in Him who loves you best, who has suffered the greatest lengths to secure them to you. A Christian who nibbles at His promises can’t possibly understand a fraction of the love of Christ. He’s saved you from sin and adopted you into a lavish inheritance—He is your inheritance.
An ignorant person might treat His promises with contempt, but how much more does it belittle God to know their value and yet treat them with restrained politeness? Oh, soul, why be content with little when you could have much? I’m invited to touch, own, take, cherish, keep, speak of, and sing about these promises every single day I wake up into His grace!
If someone ever told me, “touch God’s promises with your eyes, not with your hands”… could I restrain myself?
We’re not talking colored rock candies.
What very great and precious promises we have, friends.
Let’s enjoy them extravagantly.
Filed under: Joy in Christ
This blessed me. Excellent writing, Stephanie. I look forward to reading more.
Wow, I never realized how often I did just that, touching God’s promises for my life with my eyes instead of my hands. I also never thought about how God might react to that. But I now I can understand that if God is willing to bring His Son into human form for the sake of being a sacrifice, then the least I can do is take hold of his promises for me. Thank you for this wonderfully enlightening post.
-Bee-