Whatever I am Carrying, God is Carrying Me

When I think of a Scripture passage that has sustained me through a difficult season, I keep coming back to Wisdom 3:1. 

“The souls of the just are in the hands of God.”

Wisdom 3:1 [NAB]

In its original setting, this verse speaks of the righteous who seem lost to the world, yet are at peace with God. If even death cannot take us from his hands, then neither can the trials of this life. 

It is a short verse, but it holds everything I need: the assurance that I am held, that I am not alone, and that whatever I am carrying, God is carrying me.

There is something deeply comforting about knowing that my life is in God’s hands. In moments when circumstances feel overwhelming, when answers are not clear and the way forward seems uncertain, this verse reminds me that I do not have to carry everything on my own. Even when I cannot see what God is doing, I can trust that he is present, guiding me and holding me close.

Hands Wounded by Love

In a morning meditation at the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae on November 12, 2013, Pope Francis reflected on these words from the Book of Wisdom. He reminded us that in God’s hands we find our true security, for they are hands wounded by love. 

One of his most beautiful observations was simply this: “They are pierced hands.” He encouraged us to “entrust ourselves to the hands of God as a child entrusts himself to his father.”

Those words have stayed with me.

The hands that hold me are not distant or indifferent. They are the hands of Christ, who kept his wounds even after the Resurrection.

They bear the marks of a love that has given everything for us. When I place myself in God’s hands, I am placing myself in hands that have suffered for me, love me and will never abandon me.

Learning to Let Go and Trust

In difficult seasons, my instinct is often to hold on tightly: to plan, to worry, to seek answers and to try to fix everything myself. Letting go does not come easily. Sometimes it requires more courage than holding on.

I cannot say that I always find it easy to trust God. There are times when I manage to surrender my worries and place everything in his hands, and other times when it is much harder. Yet I continue to strive. 

Whenever circumstances arise that leave me anxious, uncertain or overwhelmed, I find myself returning to this verse, reminding myself that I am not alone and that I can call upon his presence.

I think of the image Pope Francis shared, of a child holding her father’s hand.

I find something profoundly reassuring in that image. Perhaps faith is learning to walk that way: not having all the answers or knowing exactly what lies ahead, but trusting the One who walks beside me.

God’s Presence in Everyday Graces

Trusting that I am in God’s hands also requires me to open my eyes and recognize the ways he responds to my prayers. Sometimes I become so focused on the answers I hope for, or the outcomes I want, that I overlook the ways God is already at work in my life. 

His answers do not always come in the way I expect. 

Often, they come through the people he places in my path: a listening ear just when I need to be heard, a “How are you?” that comes at exactly the right moment, a hug that says what words cannot, laughter that lightens a heavy heart, a kind word from someone who had no idea what I was carrying or an encouraging text that props me up after a tough day. 

These graces are so ordinary that it is easy to take them for granted. Yet these, too, are answers to prayer. 

In each of these moments, God’s hands reach out to me through the hands of others, reminders of his presence, the very hands I am learning to hold on to.

Even when my bigger prayers seem unanswered, these everyday graces are steppingstones, each one leading me a little further along the path. Time and again, when I look back, I see how far he has carried me and realize that my prayer was answered all along: not in the way I imagined, but in the way he knew I needed.

Choosing Trust, Again and Again

This verse reminds me that trusting I am in his hands is not a feeling I wait for. It is a choice I make, sometimes many times in one day. I do not always get it right, but I keep trying, keep praying and keep returning to the assurance of Wisdom 3:1. 

As I open my eyes to God’s presence in the humble graces of daily life, I am reminded that he has never stopped holding me.

For me, that is what it means to truly trust God: not knowing exactly what life holds or how he will respond to my prayers, yet knowing whose hands are holding me.