By His Hands

His thoughts said, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped. And yet at times the waves sweep up and almost overwhelm me and I feel like Job, “Thou dissolvest my substance.”

His Father said, “At such times say to thyself, ‘I will remember the years of the Right hand of the Most High; I will remember the days of old.’ Have the waves ever covered thee? Hast thou ever sunk as lead in the mighty waters? As it was, so it is; as it hath been, so it shall be. And in the end, with mine own hands, I will bring thee unto thy desired haven.”[1]

O, Gracious, Sovereign God, by Your strength and Your hand bring us to the desired haven; in Your presence, before Your throne.

Is this not our prayer? I know that it is mine. For at His right hand are pleasures forevermore! As believers we are called to be pilgrims and strangers in this world. We are to seek the things above, not earthly temporal things that will pass away. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Yet as we seek this eternal joy in the presence of God, we are not yet taken from this world. And as we await that day, God has graciously given us work to do. The work He gives is a means to transform us to be like Christ. This work is hand-crafted for my sanctification. I take comfort in knowing that He has revealed His will for me in Scripture.

In Titus 2:3-5, I am directed to love my husband and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to my own husband. So, it is my desire to do these things well. Yet my weaknesses are great! It is by God’s “own hands” that I will be able to do these things well. Like the above writer, I have days where I feel my strength is gone. It is on these days that I take comfort knowing that it is God who has called me to be a woman, wife, and mother; and “faithful is He who calls you and He also will bring it to pass.”

Therefore, it is not my strength or my greatness that will cause me to be the wife and mother that I so long to be, but it is my Creator who will shape me and conform me to the image of His Son.

So, how do I remain hopeful and not become discouraged? By remembering His faithfulness to me through the years. And by calling to mind Scripture. It is Scripture that the Holy Spirit will use to lead us to the great truths of God and His faithfulness.

[1] Taken from, His Thoughts Said…His Father said, by Amy Carmichael