THE LORD’S HAND
The blessing hand, the rebuking hand and the punishing hand of
God
Lord God created man in His own image
with His own hands so that man may live in his fellowship forever. But when man
disobeyed God, God threw him out of the Garden of Eden with His own hands.
Since then man has been disobeying and deceiving God but God in His mercy
continues to lead and guide people into eternal bliss, into fellowship with God
again.
God lays His hand on His people
for three reasons, to bless them, to rebuke and correct them and to punish
them.
a) Firstly God blesses His people with his hand of Protection. Psalm 91 says ‘If you make the Most
High your dwelling, then no harm shall befall you, no disaster shall come near
your tent, For He will command His angels concerning
you to guard you in all your ways’. They
will lift you up in your hands so that your foot will not strike against a
stone Gods hand of protection was upon baby Moses to baby Jesus when they were
saved from the swords of mighty kings; upon Daniel in the lions den upon Shedrak, Meshak and Abedngo when they were cast in the furnace, upon the
Israelites when they were chased by the powerful Egyptian armies and even upon
Stephen when he was stoned to death Gods hand of protection still rests on his
chosen people.
b) God blesses his people with His hand of Provision. God provided Elijah with food in the wilderness, God
provided the Israelites with manna from the heavens and water from the rocks.
He provided food for a multitude of people with a provision of just 5 loaves
and 2 fishes. King David sings in Psalm 104:28 ‘When you open your hand, they are satisfied with
good things.
c) God blesses His people with His hand of Peace. Jesus said, ‘Peace
I leave with you, my peace I give you, I do not give as the world gives. Do not
let your hearts be troubled, do not be afraid.
Today the world is living a life of terror and unrest. People are craving for peace of mind, body and soul. Jesus
invites the weary and the burdened and promises to give them rest.
d) God bless his people with His hand of Victory. When Israelites were fighting the Amaelkites,
Moses held up his hands. As long as he raised his hands unto God, the
Israelites were winning, finally theIsraelites
defeated the Amaelkites. It was the hand of God that
gave them victory. At another time Moses encouraged the Israelites, ‘stand firm, the lord will fight for you’ .The lord still fights for his people against Satan
who prowls like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. One believer plus
god is a mighty army to defeat Satan.
e) God blesses his people with his hand of Healing. Lord Jesus laid his hands upon the sick and the
Suffering. He healed the blind, the lame, the mute and the
possessed. Jesus was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our
iniquities and his wounds heal us. Lord continues to lay His hands upon man to
heal them physically, mentally and spiritually.
f )
God blesses His people with His hand
of Guidance. When the
Israelites came out of Eygpt. The Lord Went
ahead of them in a pillar of loud to give them on their way and by night in a
pillar of fire to give them light. King David says in Ps 139: “ I go up to the heavens, u are there. If I
make my bed in the depths you are there. Your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”Today
God guides us through His Holy spirit. Our counselor and our helper constantly
gives us and and leads us in paths and truth and
righteousness. Last but not the least,
g)
God blesses His
people with His hand of
Salvation. Jesus said on the cross for you and me
so that whosoever believes in Me shall not be punished but have eternal life. The hand of the Lord brings back sinners from the gates of hell and
saves them from eternal destruction. Jesus has promised John 10:29 “I give them eternal life and they shall
never perish. No one can snatch them out of my hand.” In this way God’s hand rests on His chosen people
on those who love, honor and obey God.
Secondly God lifts His hand to rebuke and
correct people from doing wrong. Hebrews 12 says “ My son do not make light of the Lord’s
discipline because the Lord disciplines those He loves. Our fathers disciplined
us for a little while but God disciplines us for our own good so that we may
share IN His Holiness. When
God instructs Jonah to preach in the
city of
Thirdly God lifts His hand to punish the wicked, the
sinners and the stubborn that refuse to repent. In Noah’s time when the earth was full of evil men, God destroyed the
earth with floodwaters. God rained burning sulphur
and destroyed the sinful cities of
Today men have failed to recognize God’s hand in their
lines. When they achieve success and prosperity they credit to their hard work,
their talents and abilities. They fail to see God’s Hand of Blessing. When
people get healed, they credit it to the wonders of medical science. They fail to see God’s Hand of Healing. When people are saved from an accident they credit
it to their good luck. They fail to see God’s Hand of Protection. When people
suffer from various problems in their lines, they credit it to the destiny.
They fail to see God’s Hand of Correction.
Dear Friends, Let us not go through life without
recognizing the loving and gracious hand of God.
I do not
understand Lord
But one day I shall see
Thy
loving hands were taking pains
To
fashion me for Thee.
Let us see the Hand of God who takes us, breaks us,
and makes us into a person holy and acceptable to the Lord.