THE HOLLOW OF HIS HAND
See, if you can, with your eye of faith,
There is a space that has no end —
Above the circle that we call Earth,
Now look to your left, and now to your right,
Where the heavens are spread like a giant tent
And stars are twinkles in the night,
As far as you see from sky to sky
Is the breadth of the hand
Of our wonderful God.
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens,
Stretched between His fingers and thumb,
One by one He calls the stars by name,
And holds them there by His mighty power;
Before Him all nations are less than nothing
He blows on them and they wither —
A whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff
But we rejoice in His majesty.
Stand at the edge of the canyon Grand,
Or gaze at a mountain from the top of a ridge,
A snow-capped mountain with ice sliding down,
A minute pebble on a goldsmith’s scale,
Little drops in a bucket of rivers and lakes,
That dry in the warmth of the sun on the ground,
See islands that pepper the distant span,
They’re but dust in a basket He carries around.
If the ocean and its creatures rare,
And birds and lilies fall under His care,
And if He provides a resting place
For those who are weary and need His grace,
We surely can see with our eye of faith,
That He lives in our hearts and we exist
In the omnipotent hollow of His hand.
Sandra Mackey © 1996
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Believing that we are being held in the hollow of God’s hand means we trust that God is lovingly leading us into holiness for our good and His glory. He will not let go.
The following words were written by King David at a time when he was experiencing deep distress. His circumstances were not what he wanted. He was bone-weary. Yet somehow, he was able to trust God. Can we relate?
9 ”Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and body with grief.
10 My life is consumed by anguish
and my years by groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak…
13 For I hear many whispering,
“Terror on every side!”…
14 But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hands;”
(Psalm 31:9, 10, 13-15a)
Were you discouraged this morning by what you saw and heard on the news?
“God was not at all surprised this morning by what popped up in your news feed. He isn’t wringing His hands as He looks down from heaven at the chaos below. God isn’t playing around with your life, dispassionately seeing what you are made of. He is utterly in control, completely interested in the details of your life, and timelessly working in the future so that even the worst things today can be redeemed down the road.
God loves you with a level of purity that you can’t even fathom. In a time when you might wonder which news, data, and people you can trust, God remains “the same, yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He is unchanging, unfailing, and unflinching in His commitment to father you faithfully.”[i]
Contentment and trust in God are companions. When I think it’s all up to me, I feel I need to work, work, work! I’m discontent if any of my circumstances are not what I had been working for.
But remember what God’s hands have done. They are the same hands that stretched out the heavens (Isaiah 45:12), told the sea it could go no further (Job 38:11), healed with a touch (Matthew 8:3), and were nailed to a cruel cross for my sins. (John 19:17-18).
God said,
10“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.
11 “All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
12 Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
13 For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:10-13)
Think about it. Since God won’t let go, have I let go of His hands?
Blessings,
Sandra
[i]Excerpt from: In the Palm of His Hand – Walking With Purpose