God-Handled

“You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
    Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light about me be night,’
even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light with you.

For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.” Psalm 139:5-16

Hemmed in, covered, led, held, shielded, formed, knitted, made, woven, name written. The handling of God is inescapable for His people. David, who had long known his God, knew full well that the Lord God knew him. Inside out, behind and before, his God who had formed him and held him was worthy of awe and praise.

The Lord’s hands are all over His children, all the time. This almighty One who formed us in our mother’s womb holds us daily as a reminder of His abiding presence, in hands on which our names are engraved. He leads us, prunes us, soothes our sorrows and touches our diseases. He holds us secure in salvation, never to let go. (Psalm 63:8; 73:23; Isaiah 41:10,13; 49:15-16; Matthew 8:2-3,15; John 10:28-29; 15:1-2)

We profess to believe in the Lord, yet worry and stew, as if we, or someone we love, might slide out of His sight and care. If we cannot escape His loving grasp, why do we fret? We say we believe His word, that His nail-scarred hands prove His love, yet doubt our worth. Why not take His hand in faith and confidence? It could be that though we give lip-service to owning ‘faith,’ we do not really know the substance, of object, of it. We recite promises, but do not rest in the truth of them, in the palpable strong arms of Jesus. When will we take time to review His handling of all that concerns us, and thank Him for it?

If we continually ponder the works of God’s hands, and His meticulous, loving, wise involvement in His world and our personal lives, we will naturally respond with hands stretched out to Him. To return Him gratitude, will we lift our hands in surrender of our work and praise of His? He alone deserves our loyal trust and joyful exaltation. (Psalm 90:17; 92:4; 141:2; 143:5-6)

Lord, may I constantly rejoice in the blessedness of being God-handled, and live out Your influence and enabling, to Your glory.