Hands

Isaiah 41:10

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Psalm 63:8

“My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.”

In early August fell the two-year anniversary of the passing of my father. To mark the date that morning, my daughter texted me a photo she had acquired sometime earlier. It would have been dated sometime in 1965 and depicted our little family of four on the front steps of our home, my parents sitting on the top step and my sister, probably age seven, and I, age four, in front of them.  It must have been summer, as I was shirtless and wearing swim trunks. It quickly reminded me again of how large my father’s hands were. I was immediately in front of him, and with his right hand he secured my midsection. His thumb landed on top of my sternum, and his pinkie finger rested just above my beltline. The size of his hand looked strangely disproportionate to his forearm and wrist. He held me safely and securely in place. I was reminded of this again when I held his hand as he struggled to hold onto life in the hospital during his final days.

The subject came up again a few weeks ago when discussing the passing of Ray Atsma after church one morning. Someone stated, as I also remember it myself, that Ray too had very large hands. I suppose his children shared the feeling of safety and security that those hands brought them as well.

As Christians, we want to know God.  Firstly, though, we need to know about God.   Thankfully, we have His word where much is revealed about Him. I especially appreciate when it refers to Him using descriptive terms within the context of the human beings He created.

All this thinking about hands caused me to ponder the many biblical references to our Heavenly Father’s hands.  

God’s hands are “creative.”  In Isaiah 48, God says of himself:

“My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together.”

And again, in Isaiah 64:

“But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

God’s hands are referred to in the context of judgment.  Ethan the Ezrahite recognized this in Psalm 89:

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Solomon as well saw this in the words of Ecclesiastes 9:1a:

“But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God.”

We find descriptions of God’s hands providing might, strength, and protection to those He loves.  David relates this beautifully in Psalm 138:

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.”

The Israelites experienced this firsthand in the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, and Moses records it in Exodus 15:6:

“Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.”

God’s hands provide guidance.  Psalm 139:10 says, 

“Even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.”

Of particular focus today are the elements of comfort and security depicted in the two texts that begin this meditation and the introductory words that follow them.  The texts that follow above certainly open our eyes to the many attributes of God that are revealed through the work of His hands; however, if we’re honest, the comfort and security those hands provide are the most sought-after benefits for our day-to-day lives. Additional verses in Psalms and Isaiah speak of God lifting His hand to show He will not forget the afflicted and of His right hand supporting us.  Isaiah 41:13 is a beautiful picture of God’s hand taking hold of our hand to relieve us of fear and assure us of His promised help. 

Why this, and why now?  There is no doubt that the past few months have been particularly trying for a number of families in our church. For quite a while, no more than a few days would go by without seeing a church prayer chain email land in my inbox, giving news of another particular need for prayer or an update from an earlier one. In all truth, at times I opened them with some degree of trepidation. The passing of a beloved family member, a fearful diagnosis of a new illness, or the added complexities of an existing one. These only describe those who are known to all, but as always there are other hardships, physical and otherwise, being kept more private.  Regardless, the need to rely on God’s hand for comfort and security has been particularly acute of late for those going through trials, but also for those holding our fellow church members up in prayer.  

How blessed we all are to know God’s hand is sufficient, and may we depend upon His promise that it is so. How blessed we are to know that by holding others up in prayer we are doing the very thing God asks us to do – lay our cares before him, without ceasing, and grasp the comfort and security he provides. We are helpless and hopeless if we do otherwise.

Finally, we know the ultimate assurance of our security and our overriding comfort that is found in God’s hands comes directly through Jesus’s words about the Father in John 10:29:

“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.”