(February 06, 2024) Angeline Selvakumari shares scripture-based encouragement…

Nehemiah declared to his hearersthat ‘The hand of my God had been favorable to me (Nehemiah 2:18NASB).

The concept of the hand of God is intriguing. In the King James Version, the phrase ‘hand of the Lord’ appears 39 times, with 36 occurrences in the Old Testament and three in the New Testament. Additionally, the phrase ‘Hand of God’ is found 16 times in the Bible, seven times in the Old Testament, and nine in the New Testament.

Not only in biblical times did this phrase hold great significance but does so even today for our lives! These three scriptures alone tell us why…

• Our times are in His hand (Psalm 31:15).
• We are God’s handiwork (Psalm 138:8).
• Our life’s breath is in His hand (Daniel 5:23).

When the hand of God is with us in every activity and in every area of our lives, it makes a remarkable difference.

Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:10) was aware of this significance, and asked of God, ‘Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm.’ How many of us dare to be like Jabez?

Putting our hand in God’s hand will make a remarkable difference, so let’s contemplate on some of the things God’s hand can do.

1. Creative Hand!
The hand of God is a hand of creation. He calls into existence the things that do not exist (Romans 4:17). His hand can create new things. He is the creator.

Not only that, when His hand touches things that are dead, lifeless or seemingly without a future, He can bring them back to life, reviving them, and making them flourish. That is the power of His hand!

When Jesus’ hand touched the widow’s dead son in Nain, he became alive! God’s Son not only brought her son back to life, but He also revived the dead situation in her life, restoring her hope, joy and faith.

Her very existence took on a new meaning as His touch bestowed a fresh purpose on her life. As He walked over and touched the coffin, the pallbearers stood still. Jesus addressed the dead man, saying, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise!’ Miraculously, the dead man sat up, began to talk, and Jesus restored him to his mother (Luke 7:14-15NKJV).

As we are still in the early stages of 2024, it’s natural to feel uncertain about the challenges ahead. You might be facing a dead end and wondering if there’s a way out or what to do next. Although it’s only February, current events may be causing us concern about the remainder of the year. How am I going to handle it? How are you?

Dear friends, it’s essential to allow God to breathe life into the dead areas of our lives. Acknowledge that they are barren and unproductive, and then permit God to revive them! This process involves self-reflection and realisation.

2. Satisfying Hand!
God’s hand is a source of satisfaction encourages Psalm 145:16: ‘You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.’

He delights in fulfilling the desires of His people. In Psalm 37:4, God promises to grant the desires of our hearts. And Psalm 145:19 states, ‘He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him.’ Many times, when we read such verses, we expect God to fulfill every desire that arises in our hearts… However, we can become disheartened when we don’t receive what we want and then complain that God did not keep His word.

We need to note those last four words: ‘those who fear Him’! We must understand that our desires and wishes should align with His own. ‘Fear’ here is yârê’ – morally reverent ie showing deep and solemn respect.

When God led the Israelites from Egypt, they desired meat. I believe they were similar to me in their food preferences. I enjoy non-vegetarian cuisine, and it is challenging for me to have a meal without it. Despite the Israelites’ dissatisfaction with the heavenly food, God fulfilled their desires. Similarly, God loves to satisfy us in every way possible, but this satisfaction is reserved for those who fear and delight in Him and commit their ways to the Lord. This is because there will be unity in their thoughts.

The person who fears the Lord will always comprehend the mind and heart of God. If you are content with your condition, you will witness the satisfying, powerful hand of God in your life.

3. Upholding Hands!
If the Lord delights in us way, He makes our steps firm. Psalm 37:23-24NLT promises that ‘The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.’ 

Isaiah 41:10 is great confirmation: ‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’

I recall a time from my youth when I accompanied my father on a ministry trip to Nagercoil, in the southern India. On our way back home, we had to travel about 600 km and cross a bridge over a river. It had been raining so heavily with loud thunder, and a storm had come up. As the bus traversed the bridge, I could feel it moving beneath us and the river was raging high. I was so scared.

Then, I felt a warm hand holding mine. It was my dad’s. That was enough for me. His grip made me feel as if he was saying, ‘Fear not, I am with you. Nothing is going to touch you.’  My dad didn’t have to say those words, but his hold was more than enough to make me feel  secure and I didn’t feel scared anymore!

Dear friends, when I read scriptures that assure us that the Lord upholds us with His hand, I am reminded that when He holds with His powerful, mighty hands, we don’t need to worry. Therefore let us rest assured in knowing who is holding our hands. There will be peace that surpasses all understanding. It’s the peace that –

• Paul and Silas experienced, which made them sing with their hands and legs chained up, beaten and bruised, waiting for the inevitable (Acts 16:16-34) .
• The Hebrew brothers felt when they walked through the fire (Daniel 3:16-30).
• The psalmist knew: ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil’ (Psalm 23:4NKJV).

As long as our hands are holding the mighty hands of God, we can walk anywhere. I pray that as you proceed through the rest of this year, God will give you the strength to face any situation, knowing that He is holding your hand.

You are not alone in this journey. You have someone who knows our yesterdays, our today and our tomorrows. Since He has already been in our tomorrows, we don’t have to worry about what is going to happen. If He takes me, He will bring me out!

4. Mighty Hand!
God’s hand is mighty – it either gives you victory by being on your side… or it will fight against you. Isaiah 19:16 says,‘In that day the Egyptians will become weaklings. They will shudder with fear at the uplifted hand that the Lord Almighty raises against them.’

No one can stand against the hand of God! Make sure it is not against you! As long as the hand of God is on our side, we are safe, but if it is against us, we will become nothing.

When might the hand of God come against us? Acts 13:8-11 gives an example: Elymas the sorcerer had opposed Paul and Barnabas sharing the gospel with the proconsul and tried to turn him away from the faith. Paul said to Elymas, ‘“Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand.’ 

By His mighty hand, God judges the enemies of the gospel! When we oppose the work of the Lord in some way such as speaking against it, the hand of God comes against us. Do not speak against God’s people! Don’t speak against God’s work or talk foolishly about God’s servants. Don’t live in darkness, a stumbling block to the work of God.

Let’s reflect here today… is there any way you have blocked, hindered God’s work? It could be our actions, words, something we did or something we didn’t do. If so we need to be careful because the hand of God is against us.

But… when the hand of God is in our favour, then it gives us victory… as Psalm 98:1NIRV confirms: ‘Sing a new song to the Lord. He has done wonderful things. By the power of His right hand and His holy arm He has saved His people.’ 

Dear servants of God, sometimes the path may be lonely, long and arduous. Do you feel that the hard work you do is not appreciated? People might not see the scars on your back, but Jesus travelled the same path. He was rejected, criticised, mocked, discouraged and left alone.

Remember that He who called you is faithful! He knows you and He fights for you. We have a God who fights all our battles. He knows nothing about defeat! Therefore, we will see victory because our God is a mighty warrior who fights with a powerful hand.

5. Shaping Hand!
Finally, God’s hand is a potter’s hand, and we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8 left). He is the one who shapes us, sometimes by pruning, sometimes by refining along the edges – and sometimes He may have to do things that are unpleasant so that we can be useful for our Master.

When God shapes us, it is not a comfortable experience. It hurts and makes us feel vulnerable. But it is during this time that we need to surrender to God’s abundant wisdom and trust in Him. One thing we need to remember is that God knows best.

• God allows circumstances and situations into our lives to shape us.
• He allows people to shape us too. Some people walk into our lives to teach us patience by being mean, annoying and piercing through their words.
• God allows certain personalities into our lives to develop our character. People come for a season to prune us and as soon as we achieve the target set by God, they will leave.
• People come into our lives for a season. Some are for the first page only, some are for the first chapter only, and very few are intended throughout the story of our lives.
• Many times, we lament over people leaving us, leaving an everlasting scar. (I have learned this the hard way). So when God allows certain people to walk away from your lives, stay strong! God knows and there is a reason why!

We might, at times, feel the mighty hand of God crushing us. It is not to destroy you but to shape you. 1 Peter 5:6ESB (right) is very relevant! Let’s see how mighty the hand of the Lord can be in our lives.

If we submit our lives, desires, dreams and stay put under the mighty hand of God, then all the above blessings will come to pass.
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Pastor Angeline Selvakumari is Chief Editor Echo of His Call, India’s Spiritual Newspaper, and Dr S Sam Selva Raj’s daughter. In furthering Echo of His Call ministries, established 1969, Dr Sam daily broadcasts 5-minute messages in Hindi, Tamil and English on YouTube, trusting the Lord to provide for the costs. Link: sam@echoofhiscall.org  
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