The Shadow of His Hand (part 1)

It's tempting to think that under the shadow of His wing is the perfect place to be. We are safe, protected, hidden. What can harm us? But we can’t see anything going on from under there. It’s like sitting in Mommy’s lap. It feels great when we are hurt or scared. When my girls were little, if they got a bo-bo, they came running. But as soon as they were comforted, when they were “healed,” they were ready to go. They wanted to be where they could see what’s going on, they wanted to be where the action is.

God’s Hand is where the action is. His Hand is where His tools are.

Example: My brother uses a tool in his work. It is a very complex tool. It takes maintenance and preparation on his part to assure that his camera will perform the way it is supposed to when he calls upon it. He protects it from dust and extreme heat and cold. He makes sure that when it travels it is in an appropriate case and not jostled around loose. He makes sure that it is loaded with enough memory or film, depending on the camera, and armed with the right filters and flashes for the occasion. But apart from his hand, that camera is useless. Unless he puts his hand on it and uses it, it is a worthless tool: very expensive, but not fulfilling its purpose when left to itself.

Let's look at God's hand:

• Isaiah 49:2-3 He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor."

• Isaiah 49:16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

Think about God’s hands, which in a physical sense are Jesus’ hands. When Jesus looks at His hands, what does He see? Those scars. Those scars are for you and me. We are engraved on the palms of His hands. Don’t ever forget what those hands look like.

What are His hands capable of? Wow!

• Isaiah 40: 12. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
  

• Isaiah 45: 12. It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts.
  

• Isaiah 51:16 I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand-- I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, 'You are my people.'

Notice that every time God’s hand is mentioned, it is doing something. It is marking off the heavens or laying the foundations of the earth. And that was with no tools at all! Imagine what He can do with just a simple tool like us. All we have to do is place ourselves in His hand. Imagine being that arrow in God's quiver, ready to fly at His command. Doesn't that get you excited?