An Arm’s Reach Away

From the archives of Oral Roberts

One day several men were climbing a mountain when one of them stumbled and fell. His fall was broken by a ledge, and there, he clung for life.

In fear that he was about to fall farther and die, he panicked and began to scream to his companions for help. He hollered and cried loudly for about a half hour, his body frozen with fear as he cowered against the side of the mountain. Finally he wore himself out yelling and fell into an exhausted silence.

Immediately he heard a calm voice say, “I’m just an arm’s reach above you. Reach up with your hands and we’ll grab hold.”

The man reached up slowly along the edge of the mountain, and as he did, he felt two strong hands grip his hands. His friends quickly pulled him up from the ledge to a higher and wider plateau.

As soon as he was safe and had calmed down inside, the man said, “Why didn’t you hear me? Why didn’t you help me sooner?”

They said, “The moment you fell and began to holler, we hurried to you, secured ourselves, and reached over the side of the ledge to help you. But you were so frightened and beside yourself, and you were yelling so loudly, you couldn’t hear us. We’ve been there waiting to help you the entire time.”

That’s true about God, friend. Be still, today, and hear His voice. You’ll find His everlasting arms are reaching toward you. You only need to lift your hands toward Him to find that He’s closer than you ever dreamed and He’s there to lift you up.

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