A few days ago, I happened to take a close look at my hand, and I marveled at all the things I can do with that one hand. These thoughts led me to ask a question…. does God have hands? Yes, He does have hands, hands that do so much more than we can imagine. First – how does the Bible describe God’s hand? I picked two out of the many verses in the Bible that talk about his hand.
Isaiah 40:12a “Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?” (NLT)
For someone to hold more than one ocean in his hand, he must have a pretty big hand, right?
Psalm 95:4-5 “He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too.” (NLT)
Picture this – not only does he hold oceans in his hand; he also holds the depths of the earth (places no human has seen) and the mightiest mountains. Awesome!
If you are thinking as I am at this point, you may be having thoughts like, ‘someone with such power in his hands does not care about me; he has more important things to worry about.” Well, that is not true, according to the next few verses.
- You are engraved on the palm of his hand
Isaiah 49:16a “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…” (NIV)
Ever tried to rub off or clean off an engraving? It is impossible! An engraving is permanent, and cannot be removed! Now, look at your palms. Can you see the lines that crisscross them, those black lines that cannot be rubbed out? Similarly, our names are engraved on the palms of our Father’s hands. That means that every time he looks at his palm, he sees your name, my name and the names of all his other children!
- He upholds you with his hand
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Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” (NLT)
Even in the darkest of times, God is always ready to help us through. He holds us up when we have no strength; he comforts us when we are down, and keeps us company when nobody else is around. Most importantly, he promises that his VICTORIOUS right hand will always be there to hold us up. What does that mean for me? Well, it means that I will always have my Father’s hand to hold on to and to lean on. I also get to share in his victory!
- Nobody can take you out of his hand
John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, no one will snatch them out my hand.” (NIV)
Once you become a child of God, you ‘live’ in his hands! Just like a child is ‘covered’ by the hands of its father and mother, we are covered by the hands of God our Father. He is quick to make sure that nobody snatches us from his grasp because he knows that his hands are the best place for us to be. My question to you is, are you in his hands? Do you need to find your way back to his hands? His hands of love are ready to welcome you.
Therefore – there is more to a hand than meets the eye. Next time you look at your hands, remember how powerfully gentle God’s hands are, and how they long to welcome and embrace you!