Todd Agnew is one of my all-time favorite singer-songwriters and one of the most powerful songs on his album Better Questions is the song "Still Has A Hold." As the writer and singer of some of my favorite songs, "Grace Like Rain" and "My Jesus" to name a few, Todd has consistently written biblical songs that both challenge and uplift me to give my heart to Jesus and thank Him for his grace and mercy. He is a truth-telling songwriter in the style of Rich Mullins, Bebo Norman and Derek Webb.

Todd credits John 10:29 as his inspiration for the song “Still Has A Hold.”

"My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand." (NIV)

The Message puts it this way in John 10:25-30:

Jesus answered, "I told you, but you don't believe. Everything I have done has been authorized by my Father, actions that speak louder than words. You don't believe because you're not my sheep. My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them real and eternal life. They are protected from the Destroyer for good. No one can steal them from out of my hand. The Father who put them under my care is so much greater than the Destroyer and Thief. No one could ever get them away from him. I and the Father are one heart and mind." (The Message)

I had the opportunity to correspond with Todd about a few of his songs, and here is what he told me about “Still Has A Hold.”

“One day, I was listening to a sermon by Tony Evans, a powerful pastor from the Dallas area. He told a story about taking his granddaughter on a walk in the middle of a winter month. In Dallas, it never snows but it often ices. The streets and sidewalks become extremely treacherous to walk or drive on, and apparently it was one of these days they chose for their walk. As they approached a patch of ice, the little girl got nervous and said, "Grandpa, hold my hand!" He was confused, looked down at her and replied, "Honey, we ARE holding hands." And she quickly corrected him, "No, I'm holding your hand. I need YOU to hold MY hand!" She understood that if she slipped on a patch of ice, she would flail, let go of his hand, and fall. But if HE had a hold of HER hand, when she slipped, she would be perfectly safe.”

Todd continued: “What an amazing picture of our relationship with God! I became so focused on my ability to hold on to Him that I experienced great shame in my failures and totally missed the peace of knowing you are secure in His hand. I have worked for years on how to hold on tighter. How can I make sure I don't let go? And I never realized that, in spite of all my falls, the relationship between God and I never really changed. I was safe in His hand when I was running confidently and was just as safe when I was falling completely out of control. This verse in John says that no one can snatch us from the Father's hand, and that even includes us. Being in the hand of God is the absolute safest place to be because nothing can affect His grip. Even when we let go.”

Lyrics to “Still Has A Hold”

Many times when I was little
I'd hold my Daddy's hand
Many times I thought I was so strong
I'd let go and try to stand
Many times I'd fall and was so ashamed
Never good enough
But someone failed to tell me
Holding on doesn't do too much

Chorus
Sometimes I'm on the mountain
Holding on to Your hand
Sometimes I'm in the middle
Holding the best I can
Sometimes I'm in the valley
I let go long ago
My hand is weak and tired
But Your hand still has a hold

Many times when I was a child
They told me to follow the rules
Many times I tried oh so hard
To do what they wanted me to
But many times I failed, and in my disgrace, I couldn't call Your name
But I found that though I left You
You were with me all the same

I've tried to hold on to You
Seems the best I can do is sometimes
Doing everything I can
But it's slipping through my hands sometimes
Half time
If You're looking for consistency
Look to someone else
Cause I'm holding hands with heaven
While I'm making eyes at hell
If I'm ever gonna change
God, I need Your help

Chorus

What a great and powerful image of God holding our hand. One of my great joys in life is when I hold the hand of one of my daughters and help them up the steps or cross the street or just give them a squeeze to let them know how much I care about them. God cares for each and every one of us more than we can imagine and never lets go.

You can listen to the song here.