The Hand of God
The image of the “hand of God” appears many times in the Bible. When Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, he later saw that it was God’s hand who was directing the circumstances of his life so that Jacob’s family and all the people in that region would not be overcome by the famine (Genesis 45). Throughout the lives and events of nearly every character in the Bible, we see God’s providential hand working in or through their lives. He even works in and through those who are not of the Kingdom of God.
In Martin Luther’s Small Catechism (Apostles’ Creed), wood-cut drawings are used to depict God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The creative hand of God is often seen protruding from a cloud orchestrating not only the creation of the universe, but everything that occurs in it. In Michelangelo’s famous Sistine Chapel ceiling painting, “Creation of Adam,” we see the hand of God reaching out to create human beings in His image…and touch their lives with His presence.
The hand of God shows strength and compassion, pain and peace, healing and hope, judgement and grace, power and tenderness. Through the prophet Isaiah, God calls His people to put their trust in Him – “My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they all stand together.” (Isaiah 48:13). When we, by faith and the power of the Holy Spirit, submit our lives into God’s hands we can be confident that no one is able to snatch us out of the Father’s hand (John 10:29).
As we begin our Lenten pilgrimage, may we by faith allow Jesus to take our hand and guide us through the unchartered territory ahead in our life. By faith may we trust that God’s hand will guide and direct us into a closer walk with Him and keep us in the faith until that day when His almighty and all-powerful hand comes to recreate and restore all of creation for an eternity.
Pastor Schuldheisz
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