In the Palm of His Hand

Do you have a yo-yo? Do you know how to do any tricks with your yo-yo? I brought a yo-yo this morning so that I could show you how to do a few simple tricks.

The first thing that most people learn how to do is the basic "throw down." I'm sure that all of you can do that. You simply hold your hand out in front of you with the palm up. With a flick of the wrist, throw the yo-yo straight down. When the yo-yo reaches the end of the string, give a little tug and the yo-yo returns to the palm of your hand.

Another easy trick is the "forward pass." It is very similar to the "throw down" except that instead of throwing it down, you throw it out in front of you. When the yo-yo reaches the end of the string, give it a tug back and catch it in the palm of your hand.

Now that you have learned the "throw down" and the "forward pass," you are ready for one of the best yo-yo tricks of all. It is called the "sleeper." It starts out just like the "throw down." Throw the yo-yo down with a flick of the wrist, but when it gets to the end of the string, don't pull it back immediately. You will see that the yo-yo stays down at the end of the string and spins. When you are ready, just a slight tug pulls it right back up into the palm of your hand.

The final trick I want to show you is called "around the world." It starts out like the "forward pass," but when the yo-yo gets to the end of the string, you don't pull it back. Instead, you swing it over your shoulder around in a circle and then when it gets back to the starting place, you jerk the string and bring the yo-yo back home. This one is a little bit more difficult and sometimes I mess up. Ready? Here goes! Oh wow! I really messed up on that one, didn't I? Well, no problem. I'll just pick up my yo-yo, rewind it, and then I'll be ready to go again.

Did you notice that every one of these tricks started and ended exactly the same way? Each trick began and ended with the yo-yo right here -- in the palm of my hand. I think that can help us to learn something about Jesus.

One day, some people asked Jesus to tell them plainly if he was the Christ. He answered them saying, "I told you, but you did not believe me because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand."

When you give your heart to Jesus and place your life in his hands, you have his promise that you are safe and that nothing can snatch you from his hand. Oh, you may have your "ups and downs." You may even stray away at times, but just a little tug will pull you right back into His hand. Even if you really mess up, like I did on the "around the world" trick, he picks you up and places you right back where you belong -- in the palm of his hand. What a wonderful promise! Jesus has you in the palm of his hand and nothing can take you from his hand!

Father, we are thankful that Jesus holds us safely in the palm of his hand and that nothing can snatch us from his hand. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Note: Need some help learning these simple tricks? Check out "How Stuff Works"