Carol Kent - He Holds My Hand: Experiencing Gods Presence and Protection

The more I dig into He Holds My Hand, the more I feel like I am walking in the light. I believe God is going to use this devotional.... Its going to become the My Utmost for His Highest of this generation and beyond.

DEBBIE MACOMBER

New York Time bestselling author

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He Holds My Hand: Experiencing Gods Presence and Protection

Copyright 2017 by Carol Kent. All rights reserved.

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Edited by Bonne Steffen

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked GNT are taken from the Good News Translation in Todays English Version, Second Edition, copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission. Scripture verses marked Phillips are taken from The New Testament in Modern English by J. B. Phillips, copyright J. B. Phillips, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1972. All rights reserved. Scripture verses marked NEB are taken from The New English Bible, copyright 1970, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press. Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible, copyright 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version. Scripture quotations marked GW are taken from GODS WORD, 1995 Gods Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group. Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible, copyright 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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ISBN 978-1-4964-2165-4

ISBN 978-1-4964-2168-5 (ePub); ISBN 978-1-4964-2167-8 (Kindle); ISBN 978-1-4964-2166-1 (Apple)

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To my precious Mama,

Pauline Afman.

In every season of life,

you remind me to put my hand in His.

H ave you ever received an unexpected phone call that completely threw your world off its axis? It might have been a devastating diagnosis of cancer. Perhaps it was the shocking news of an accident that took the life of a family member and left someone else you love permanently disabled. But sometimes, unexpected calls bring magnificent surprises. You might have received good news about an upcoming wedding, or the announcement that a long-awaited baby is on the way. Or maybe you were offered a job or ministry position ideally suited to your gifts. Good or bad, in one moment in time, you knew your life would be forever changed by what you just heard. Thats what happened to me.

The phone rang at 12:35 a.m., awakening my husband and me from a deep sleep. Gene picked up the receiver while I tried to figure out who was on the other end of the line. His face was horror-stricken as he looked at me and said, Jason has just been arrested for the murder of his wifes ex-husband.

Nausea swept over me. I struggled to get out of bed and stand up, but my legs wouldnt hold my weight. I slumped to the floor and crawled my way into the bathroom. Thoughts swirled: What is happening? Our son has never been in trouble before. He was a good student, a high-achieving graduate of the US Naval Academy. Did they pick up the wrong person? Is this a bad dream? Or a cruel joke?

Soon after our sons graduation from the USNA, he had met a woman with two young daughters. We were all thrilled when they got married, and Jason loved being a husband and stepdad. Still, something unforeseen hovered on the horizon. The girls biological father had been accused of abuse on multiple occasions, and these allegations had prevented him from having unsupervised visitation privileges. The abuse was never proven, but Jason firmly believed it was true.

Jasons first military assignment outside the continental United States was in Hawaii, which meant he, his wife, and his stepdaughters would be living far away from the girls biological father. To complicate matters, the visitation restrictions for the girls father were likely going to be lifted. If that happened, they would have six weeks of mandatory visits with their dad in the summer. Jason, fearing for the girls safety, began to unravel mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Then he did the unthinkable he took matters into his own hands.

Grief consumed me, and I was deeply distraught with God. As a teenager, I had memorized Psalm 16:11, vowing to follow God wherever He led me: Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore ( KJV ). Now I was not feeling either joy or Gods pleasure as I lashed out at Him. How could You have allowed this to happen? I prayed for my son since he was in my womb. I tried to be the best mother I could be, raising my son to love and serve You! He was a loving husband and father who wanted to protect his stepdaughters from abuse. I am heartbroken. This is my only child, and You didnt stop him!