Men, what do you think or feel when you see this picture?
Go ahead. Take a minute. Really think about it. Stop reading. Write it down. How does this photo affect you?
Can I be raw and real for a moment?
You know, we men are supposed to be strong – the ones who hold it all together for the sake of our families, the church, the world. Leaders. Protectors. Guardians. Warriors.
This man…
He does not look like any of those right now.
He looks like the very thing that we fear: Vulnerability.
We are not supposed to feel weak and vulnerable.
We are not supposed to be weak or vulnerable.
But we do feel it.
We are…
It.
The illusion of strength…all the time…is just that. An illusion.
So, yes. We feel weak. We experience weakness.
More than our pride and masculine bravado is willing to confess.
And we are most certainly never supposed to admit it.
But men, be honest. Sometimes we do feel weak. Sometimes you do feel weak. Unsure. Insecure. Sometimes, even we men long to be held by the very strength that we are supposed to bear. Sometimes, we want to know that there is One stronger than us, that He has us, and that we are secure in His embrace.
Even the strongest among us as men have felt this way. King David did. He was “a man’s man.” Dude, he was a warrior.
And a poet.
He was fierce in battle and tender in spirit.
In today’s culture, expressing emotional vulnerability as men is often misinterpreted as weakness. For admitting his insecurity, for confessing his desire to be held by another man, he might be mocked, labeled, or misunderstood entirely. A man would never openly admit this because to do so would make him “less of a man.” But that is only culture speaking. Not truth. Even Jesus wept. Even He sweat drops of blood in His weakness. Even He ran to His Father regularly and openly for strength. Even Jesus wanted to be held by His Daddy’s strong arms. Even Christ held other men. John, the burly fisherman, the beloved of God, was seen reclining on Jesus’ breast.
And in dying upon the cross and rising again three days later, Jesus ensured that because of our repentance and faith, we too have such a Father whose strong arms are open wide for us to run into. No matter whether how young or old you are, brother, we are never too old to be held.
In fact, Jesus invites to run into His open arms and be held by their firm, loving, and unyielding strength.
Hebrews 2:14–18 (ESV)
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that He helps, but He helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore He had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because He Himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 4:14–16 (ESV)
14 Since then we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The fact of the matter is, Christ died precisely because we are weak.
It takes strength to admit weakness and to run to the One who holds true strength. It takes strength to be vulnerable and risk criticism by admitting, “I just want a strong man to hold me and make me feel secure. Because I feel small.”
Can I be open?
Truly open?
Personally open?
I feel weak, small, vulnerable, and scared sometimes. Lately, within the past couple years, probably more than I have actually felt strong.
I want to feel the strong arms of a man holding me. I want to feel the strong arms of THE One stronger than I, wrapped lovingly and protectively around me. I have wanted, so many times, to feel another man physically embracing me, reassuring me that I am loved, valued, and protected.
I want to be held—cradled by the strength that steadies storms. I want to know that a Man, strong and secure, is loving me, guarding me, watching over me.
I want a FATHER to hold me—a strong, loving Abba (Daddy) whose embrace quiets every fear and steadies every storm inside me. I want to be the precious son that He is lovingly and protectively shielding—showing me I am valuable enough to hold, to guard, to touch.
I don’t always have it all together. In fact, I feel like I “have it together” WAY less than I actually do.
Truth is, Paul felt this way. One of my favorite arsenal passages is 2 Corinthians 12:9:
7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(2 Corinthians 12:7–10, ESV)
Paul felt weak. He felt helpless in the face of his thorn. Essentially, he was running to the strong arms of God and asking to be held. He was asking for God to kiss his wounds, to rub his booboo, to make it feel better, to take it away. He was asking his Daddy, to be strong for him when he felt depleted.
God denied his request to remove the thorn. But He was not dispassionate about it. His “no” was not a rejection but a deeper “yes” to grace and strength—a loving invitation to experience His power made perfect in weakness, rather than deliverance from it. He graciously provided the comfort and strength that Paul needed, even if He would not take the hurt away. I see in this passage—and maybe I am reading too much into it, but I do not think so—I see in this passage the strong embrace of God, holding Paul, exposed and vulnerable…like the man in the picture.
I recently made a query to ChatGPT that went something like this: Show me a man cradled in the arms of God. I am a visual learner. I wanted a visual reference point for imagining myself safely nestled in His loving embrace. The picture above was the resulting image.
When I asked why the man was depicted shirtless, ChatGPT explained:
Artistic Rationale for the Shirtless Look
- Symbol of Vulnerability 🤍
- Being shirtless in art often conveys complete emotional openness and raw humanity.
- It strips away worldly identity (status, profession, culture) and presents the person as a soul laid bare, fully exposed in the arms of divine mercy.
- Visual Contrast of Strength vs. Fragility 💪🩆️
- The strong, covered form of God next to the exposed, resting body creates a powerful contrast.
- It highlights human frailty supported by eternal strength, a classic technique in religious and neoclassical works.
- Timelessness & Universality ⌛
- Clothing can date a person. A shirtless figure, rendered in a traditional pose and style, becomes more universal, symbolic of anyone—you, me, all of us—seeking divine embrace.
- Reference to Christ-like Imagery ✝️
- Many Renaissance and Baroque paintings (like Michelangelo’s Pietà or Caravaggio’s works) portray figures shirtless to evoke spiritual suffering, surrender, or resurrection.
- It resonates with deeper themes of redemption, healing, and rebirth.
This feels very apt. An appropriate sense for how we feel when we run to Him for comfort and assurance.
Can I remove all pretense here?
Many times, in the past several years, I have wanted to be that man. To be held in the loving and strong arms of another man. I know now, behind that desire was really the desire to be held by my Savior; to tangibly know those arms and know I don’t have to hold it all together anymore. In lieu of not being able to feel His embrace, I longed for a human representative of it. Many times, I have (and still do) felt weak, vulnerable, insecure, unsafe, hurting, and in need of another’s strength to hold me tight. And the truth is, God HAS and IS holding me in such a way—even if it is not physical. The promise of 2 Corinthians 12:9 assures me of that.
I AM being held.
My desire for the physical reality of it is really nothing more than a deep spiritual cry to know and feel the loving embrace of THE STRONGEST MAN around.
It is a cry that echoes that of David in Psalm 63:8.
Psalm 63:8 (ESV)
8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.
This is masculinity and surrender at its finest.
It is God’s care at its best.
Brother…YOU too ARE being held in the strong and mighty arms of Jesus. No matter your trial, your struggle, your hurt. No matter whether you are the man who does not want to admit, even to himself, how small he feels or the man who has no problem admitting it…GOD HOLDS YOU. He holds me. We are held in His embrace, and we are safe. And sometimes, He uses one another to show us physically what is already true spiritually. Sometimes when a brother lends a hug, God wants you to know, it is from above.
If you feel small today, don’t run from that feeling. Embrace it. That’s the doorway to knowing His strength. Run to Him. Rest in Him. And if you need a brother to remind you— find me. You’re not alone.
Trust Him. Relax in peace in His firm arms. He won’t let you slip.
John 10:27–30 (ESV)
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 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. 30 I and the Father are one.
Our confidence is not in a feeling. But in THE finished work on the cross.
On the cross, Jesus removed our sin. In the resurrection, He protects our future.
And right now? In every fear you fear, in every weakness you experience, be reminded of this truth: You are held in the grip of grace.
Run to Him. Hide beneath His wings. Rest in His embrace.
Psalm 91:4 (ESV)4 He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
A Singular Passion 