I never thought too much about it before… grab bars are for old people. Welp, I am moving into that phase of life. When we travel, grab bars are one of the first things I look for. In the last 44 days Mary & I have been away from home 22 nights. Nothing causes me more uneasiness than being in the shower. I visualize slipping and falling…having the bathroom full of firemen/firewomen & EMT’s helping this naked old man out of the shower. For showers with grab bars, I check to see how well they are anchored. Will they fail when I put my weight on them?

Our grab bars at home are super strong. I know who installed them…our son-in-law. He is a not only a perfectionist, but a caring man of high integrity. He did not make our grab bars secure enough to hold an elephant because I’m his father-in-law, it’s who he is. Whatever the installation or code, for anything, he goes above what is required. When he shows up, with every tool Home Depot & Lowe’s sell, he assesses the situation. When I have interjected, “Let’s just get ’er close” he smiles and says, “No, Robert. I am going to do it right.” And he does.

Today, people are realizing the precarious situation we live in. Covid was like a bucket of cold-water reality. Remember the empty grocery shelves, businesses closed and hospitals full. We were told we could not go to church. People recognized our political leaders, work, family & friends were not strong enough under pressure. The hard times revealed our strategy, what we depended on, was not enough. Covid was a short, temporary period compared to the devastating Great Depression that lasted 10 years.

Why did we experience the anxiety during Covid? We allowed ourselves to depend & trust the “Grab Bars” of the world and the world’s ways. We discovered the world’s way was not anchored to bare up under the weight. They failed.

There is only one secure & unfailing way to install the grab bars of life. God’s Word. Everything He does has a perfect plan. God is not only a perfectionist, He is a loving and forever true God. Scripture tells us He cannot lie (Titus 1:2). He demonstrated his love by sacrificing His one and only Son. He cares so much for us that He gave us His “Guidebook for Living,” the Bible.

• “As for God, His way is perfect: The Lord’s Word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him.” 2 Samuel 22:31
• “And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.” Psalm 12:6
• “Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” Proverbs 30:5

One of my favorite God Grab Bar stories is found in 2 Chronicles 20:12. All Israel’s defenses had failed. It was hopeless. Israel was about to be overrun when King Jehoshaphat stood before the people and prayed, “For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” The king put all his weight…all his trust in “THE” Grab Bar… God.

God was then, and is now, up to the pressures of life. Afterall, He created all life. He is Sovereign, Almighty God. God sent His messenger to the king, “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army.” For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 2 Chronicle 20:15 I encourage you to read the rest of this fascinating story of God’s deliverance. Only God.

See, it all comes down to what the carpenter’s son installed. On that cross, the carpenter’s son took the full weight of all the sins of the world! He did not fail then and He will not fail now. He is our Savior. He is alive!

Don’t wait until you slip on anxiety and face a fall. Begin anchoring the proven Grab Bars of His Word into your heart today. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17