God’s hand

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

1) How will God preserve and save?
As we relinquish ourselves, the Father becomes the holder of our very hearts. He lovingly teaches, gently corrects, constantly shapes us to reflect Him, wraps us in tender love, and fights for us. He is not a distant God, rather He is the with us God who sees our every hurt, knows the depth of our anguish, and sits with us there to protect our hearts as we sit in His shelter. While the outside may crumble away, the Lord renews our inner soul, giving us His own courage and the promise to never leave. (2 Corinthians 4:16) His promise to preserve and save as referenced in this verse begins here, in the sacred ground of our relationship with Him where He is both Lord and Father, and we are both slave and precious child. The inside soul is where He fights for us first and foremost. Additionally, the Lord is indeed abundantly gracious in the physical realm just as He is in the relational and spiritual realms. He provides food, strengthens relationships, brings conviction, gives us the common graces of finances, medicine, vehicles, housing, and clothes. Again, the Lord sees all and knows all, and will provide what we need. Often, however, we focus solely on the physical, expecting God to give us what we perceive we need. These are the times to remember God first is fighting for our hearts, teaching us to trust His good character. Seek His face, ask Him to grow your desire to learn His heart, and practice sitting still with the Lord studying His word. This is the beginning of His rescue!

2) What “purposes” do the Lord have?
It’s important to know that while God has lovingly crafted plans for each of us to walk into for our everyday life that ultimately fulfill His larger purposes, we can neither fulfill these purposes on our own strength, nor can we mess them up beyond His redemption. The Lord’s master plans will never be thwarted. (Isaiah 46:10) What He chooses to accomplish, will come to pass in His way and in His time. However, there is a tension involved here, because He also gives us freedom of choice. Esther had the choice to stand in the gap for her people or watch them be slaughtered. Moses had the choice to walk forward in faith, believing God would use him in his weakness to lead Israel out of slavery or push back and tell God he couldn’t because He wasn’t a good speaker. Esther chose obedience and God used her small choices to accomplish His larger plans. Moses chose to push back, and although God still used Him, He also brought in Aaron as Moses’ mouthpiece and it was Aaron who later led Israel to sin by worshipping a golden idol. With Moses, God still used him and His purposes were still accomplished, but He allowed for freedom of choice. In Judges, God had given clear victory over to Barak against his enemies, but He also gave Barak freedom of choice, and because Barak chose fear over faith, the victory went to a common woman named Jael, whom God used to accomplish His purposes, despite Barak’s personal choice. We each have a choice to make when it comes to God’s purposes. If we submit to His rule, choosing to follow His ways, He will faithfully work His purposes through us. If we choose our way instead, He will still finish His work, but we will have missed out on being an active participant with Him in that work.

3) What are the “works” of God’s hands?
Just as David was the delighted over son, so are we. If you have given over your heart to the God was has faithfully loved you since the moment He knit you together in your mothers’ womb, He is yours and you are His. He has proven His love to you time and time again. Can you see His hand? Count the ways He has loved you, write them down as reminders of His good love towards you that never ends! He has proven He will always fulfill His purposes in you if you’ve given Him reign over your heart and life. Where have you seen His purposes coming to fulfillment? Have you grown in your faith? Have you learned to love more like Him? Have you reached out and encouraged another to grow in their faith as well? These are His purposes! His kindness towards His adopted sons and daughters endures forever; His presence will never leave! But, I know, we don’t always feel that way do we? This was certainly true for David. Sometimes we find him shouting praise and dancing, and other times we find him in the pit of despair wondering where God was. But, every time, we find David recounting what He knew to be true of this God who loved him and rescued Him. We would be wise to do the same!

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