Good Morning Friends,
Distinguishing the hand of God in one’s life is not always easy. It is not as if we get a definitive picture of it as a child. Still perhaps we do see God as a touch of comfort for a little child… or as the holder of the universe…or as the roughhewed palm of a carpenter on a cross. And as we grow older, we sometimes recognize God in daily practices of devotion, but it is often hard to distinguish the experience from the influences of the world. All we observe gets all mixed together. The old and new… the good and the bad. Perhaps some have seen it in the very image of the miracle that happens when people place their lives in the hands of God instead of taking their own. Perhaps God’s hands are the image of us being planted in the soil and nurtured to grow, but today’s image is that of a potter forming us and creating us, the elements of the earth with water, for a heavenly glory. With that in mind we contemplate this morning’s question: Whose Hands Do We Trust To Mold Us And Is It For An Earthly Kingdom Or A Heavenly One?
Scripture: I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Do not fear, I will help you.”
Isaiah 41:13 (NRSV)
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.
Jeremiah 18:1-6 (NIV)
“Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making? ‘Does your work say,’ He has no hands’?
Isaiah 45:9 (NIV)
O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
Isaiah 64:8 (NIV)
All this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God;
Ecclesiastes 9:1 (NRSV)
Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.
Psalm 119:73 (NRSV)
Message: Our hands are what puts our thoughts and beliefs into action. They can create great music, hold a book, shake the hand of a friend, and break bread. And so too it is with God’s hands fueled by faith. Hands are hard to draw but great painters of portraits know their importance for hands not only mold but are molded by behavior. The Bible has much to say about hands. God asked Moses at the burning bush what he had in his hands. There are many wonders of the hands. They are the most precise instrument with a unique fingerprint in God’s creation. The center of the problem about our hands is the discipline and faith to use them well. You see God always acts on the faithfulness of the creatures He created. Unfortunately, people facing the worst often think there is no God, and that even if there is, He is useless. So, what of the Hands of God. Is it just anthropomorphic commentary or is there something more to this image? Perhaps it is during times of troubles when God gives us a chance to use compassion to mold the hearts and minds of others using our hands as God’s hands. And that is about our pliability but also the possibility of acquiring and passing on a certain hardiness, toughness, strength, buoyancy, resistance, and spirit from one generation to another. We see it reflected in the lives of Moses to Joshua…. Paul to Timothy. We see it forged in the life of Daniel and of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We see it in Jesus passing on the Holy Spirit to all who believe. It is in this we need to trust. Trusting in God can transform our lives from a piece of clay into a work of art. But we must listen to the Spirit, and we must know who is molding us and for what purpose. This reality was of utmost importance for the disciples too who saw divine hands at work but often did not understand despite the teachings of Jesus the purpose. Maybe we just need to trust that God will mold the world by molding us.
And So, the potter is at work to shape and reshape us. He never promised it would be easy to see clearly, however, He does hand us scripture and the Holy Spirit. Friends, God has promised to be with us, watch over us, so reach out to Him and take His hand. And I guarantee you that God’s hand is in that future. Here the fabric of the world’s history is changed. We have been created for the glory of God so keep on keeping on…one day at a time…one breath at a time…one act of compassion at a time will get us through to a better day for the Kingdom to come.
Friends, here God’s hands bring us together and meet our needs and enable us to do what God calls us to do. Here God’s hands beckon us to repent so we might enter a better future. God’s face we may not be able to see yet, but God’s hands are with us forever. It is a vision of God’s hands in our lives molding and forming us that gives us purpose, direction, hope, courage, and motivation. God’s hands can show love and judgement. So, what is in our hands? Are we trusting in God’s to mold us?
Pray we have a vision of God’s hands at work in our lives. Pray we realize that our very faith moves God’s hands into action. Pray that regardless of what we plan, we realize and submit to the truth, that the future is in God’s hands. Pray we place our skills and resources in God’s hands. Pray we realize that God’s hands unite us. Pray we realize that God’s hands provide for us.
Pray we realize that God’s hands empower us. Pray we realize that God’s hands protect us. Pray we do not fear the future. Pray we realize that nothing is going to surprise God so that in His hands we need not worry. Pray we raise our hands in prayer. Pray we see His hands of love in our lives and faithfully follow God’s lead hand in hand. Pray we see God’s power, strength, and ability to act in His creation manifested in our lives. Pray we learn the blessing of being in the hands of God. Pray we see God’s hands working in our lives. Pray we trust in God’s hand to inspire us to serve in this world and the next.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 