Cling

1 Corinthians 6:17 AMP But the one who clings to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

The dictionary defines the word “cling” as “to hold fast” or “to adhere closely.” If you have ever stood outside a church nursery or daycare and watched a mom try to drop off a reluctant toddler, then you know what it means to cling. They don’t care who is watching or how big of a hurry Mom is in; that toddler can wrap their arms around Mom’s neck and hold on with the force of a giant octopus. That is exactly what God means to cling to him. Forsaking all others, forgetting what else is going on, in all circumstances, hold on to Him because He is faithful.

Why would God ask that we cling to him? Just read the Old Testament and you will vividly see the human tendency to stray. Like a broken record, the Israelites would stray from God even after miracle upon miracle to save and deliver them. God said about them, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways” (Psalm 95:10). When Isaiah prophesied about the coming messiah, he stated, “We all like sheep have gone astray; each one has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). The beautiful hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” includes the line, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love.” When you are clinging to Him, you will go where He is going and follow His ways. You simply can’t cling and wander at the same time.

Clinging puts us in God’s face, smack up against His person. The same Hebrew word (dabaq) is found in Genesis 2:24, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.” It’s no coincidence that clinging or cleaving and becoming one flesh is also an illustration of Jesus and His church; “We are members of His body” (Ephesians 5:30). God desires a constant, personal relationship, and it doesn’t get more intimate than clinging. Just as a husband and wife are to become one. Jesus prayed, “I in them and You in Me—perfectly united” (John 17:23). We were created to cling to God. Our souls thrive in that place. We are meant to be one with Him.

Despite all of his flaws and failures, David consistently sought God's presence and guidance. In Psalm 63:8 David declares, "My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me." This is what made David “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22). Ruth clung to her mother-in-law Naomi and, by that, to the God of Israel. Ruth 1:16 records her declaration: “Where you go, I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God." Devotion, loyalty, commitment.

What would it look like for you to cling to God on an everyday basis? It requires a daily commitment to seek His presence. Not just 15 minutes in the morning but continually throughout the day, trusting in His promises, following His commands. Clinging to God comes from grasping the truth of John 15:5, “I am the vine, and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.” It requires a heart of humility, recognizing total dependence on God, nurtured through prayer, meditating on scripture, and actively participating in a strong community of believers.

He invites us to cling to Him. But one truth about clinging—you cannot cling to more than one thing at a time. To cling to God means choosing not to hold on to things the world may tell you are important. We can choose whether to cling to Him or go through life on our own terms, but when you grasp Him and hold on each day, only then will your life fully reflect His glory and His blessings.

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Gary and Sandy Anthony

Joshua 23:8 NASB But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day.

Romans 12:9 NASB Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

Deuteronomy 10:20-21 NASB You shall fear the Lord your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name. He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen.

Psalms 119:30-31 NASB I have chosen the faithful way; I have placed Your ordinances before me. I cling to Your testimonies; O Lord, do not put me to shame!

Psalms 63:7-8 NIV Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.

Deuteronomy 13:4 NASB You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.

Isaiah 27:5 AMP Let them cling to My strength and rely on My protection, Let him make peace with Me, Let him make peace with Me.

Deuteronomy 30:20 AMPC Love the Lord your God, obey His voice, and cling to Him. For He is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers.

Joshua 22:5 AMP Only be very careful and diligently observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord has commanded you to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and cling to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

2 Kings 18:5-6 AMP Hezekiah trusted in and relied confidently on the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. For he clung to the Lord; he did not turn away from faithfully following Him, but he kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses.

Romans 6:5 NASB For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.

Colossians 3:3 NIV For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Ephesians 2:6-7 NIV And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

John 10:27-30 NIV My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.

John 15:5 NIV I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.