Every night, as I tuck my seven-year-old daughter into her bed, she insists on praying over our family, friends, and others that come to her mind. I love her heart and passion for prayer. Recently I noticed that she ends each section of her prayers with asking that God’s hand would be on them. I love this picture of God gently placing his hand on each person she prayed over, but wondered what the Bible has to say about God’s hand on our lives. It turns out there are many verses that talk about God, and they conjure up several different images about how God works in our lives.
Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (emphasis added). Here we see that the hand is God’s almighty power through his Son who sits at the right hand of God. He will sustain his people. We can stand in the grace of God and persevere to the end thanks to his righteous right hand!
Acts 11:21 states, “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.” This is the hand of providence that protected them and was a representation of God’s love, grace, and mercy. This hand provided wisdom, guidance, power, and brought the growth of their ministry. How beautiful is this imagery that shows that God does not leave us. He is with us in power and love.
Let’s explore more of what the Bible teaches about the power of God’s hand in our lives and in our world.
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1. We Are Engraved on God’s Hand
“Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me” (Isaiah 49:16).
We are always on God’s mind. He never loses sight of his people. The idea that we are engraved on his palm is the idea that we are always close to him. Never abandoned, it is a display of God’s affection for us, and a promise of a secure place in God’s family.
When we ask God’s hand to be on us, we are just confirming what he has already declared, that his saints are always etched, tattooed, or engraved permanently on his hand. We are not forgotten but forever loved and provided for by our Heavenly Father.
2. His Hand Is a Powerful Force
“Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy” (Exodus 15:6).
This passage of Scripture is referring to the powerful expression of God’s justice that the Israelites witnessed as they were freed from slavery. God saw the suffering of his people and set a divine plan in motion that would not be stopped by the will of man. Pharaoh resisted letting God’s people go, but the hand of God could not be stopped.
There is no enemy so great that God cannot prevail. His justice is sovereign. We can take comfort in this truth when we see injustices go unaddressed around us. God see and is able in his time to bring all things under the power of his mighty hand.
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3. God’s Hand Creates
“My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together” (Isaiah 48:1).
God, through the work of his hands, set down the foundations of the world. His hand is a creative force that brought light and order into the chaos.
Being covered by his mighty hand means we are covered under the power of our great Creator God. He is able to bring life and light to the dead and dark. He inspires us to create, just as he is the original maker. We can live in awe of his creation!
4. Jesus Sits at God’s Right Hand
“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34).
Jesus now sits at the right hand of God. It’s there that he intercedes on our behalf. Jesus' death was payment for our sin. It’s through him that we have full access to God’s power!
Jesus was the incarnation of God’s great plan to bring us close to him. In our brokenness we cannot approach the throne of a holy God, but Jesus sacrificed himself so we could be made holy and would now have full access to God’s powerful right hand. God’s generosity is so great! Not only does he hold all things together, but he gives us access to all he has for our benefit.
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5. God’s Hand Preserves Us in the Midst of Troubles
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me” (Psalm 138:7).
God’s hand is full of strength! It’s through his hand we find deliverance. Jesus is the ultimate gift of deliverance for humanity. No matter what troubles we face, he is able to help us!
We can live with confidence, understanding that it is by the strength in God’s hand that we will be in his will. Ultimately, we lack any power to save ourselves. It’s Christ alone that grants us the victory we need when we face a trial.
6. We Must Submit to God’s Hand
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).
The proper response to God’s power is humility and submission. We must surrender to his ways, plan, wisdom, and grace in order to receive the blessings of being his. His grace waits for us to take hold of it. His hand cares for us.
Let us live humbly under the care of our Father, not as the foolish that think their way is better than the ways of the Lord. His hand is the only safe place to be in this world.
God’s hand is remarkably significant in the Bible. It’s the tool that he uses to protect his people, to exert his power and justice on Earth. It is the place where Jesus, our great love, sits. Through his hand, he created us and our world. We can live with gratitude knowing that we are secure under his hand. I pray today that you will be covered by his hand. You would be comforted by his hand. You would trust the work of his hand. Amen.
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Originally published Sunday, 21 April 2024.
