Heaven’s Handprints

Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – July 8, 2017

See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.  Isaiah 49:16

You are marked by God’s handprints; from head to toe, He has identified you with Himself. His hands molded you and made you into who you are. His hands are so enormous that He has engraved everyone into His palm. Like a life-sized dye cast, He has shaped your soul. This is why you desperately need His tender touch. You need the hand of God to reshape you daily into His original design and purpose.The hand of God never changes, but you do. You can lose the shape of our Savior and forget who you are: a child of the King, forgiven, guiltless, and grace-filled.

You are free to forgive and are set loose to serve others. He has engraved your name into His hand, never to be removed or soiled. Indeed, His hand is your protector. Satan and his schemes must pass through the hand of your heavenly Father to get to you. It doesn’t mean you are always shielded from Satan, but it does mean you still rest in the Lord’s care, even in the middle of chaos.

Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one” (John 10:28-30).

Therefore, allow your heavenly Father to hold you with His caressing hands of compassion. There is nothing more reassuring than the loving embrace of the Lord. His hands will not crush you but comfort you in your time of struggle. The hand of the Lord is an extension of His everlasting love. Peace and security are the residuals, which stay with you after God has handled you. His hands handle you so you can handle others.

Every day you meet people who are recipients of your handprints. You can extend open hands of acceptance or closed hands of rejection. You can embrace others with hands of understanding or distance yourself with hands of shallow assumption. You can offer a helping hand of service or expect other hands to serve you. Just as the hands of your heavenly Father mark you, so you mark others.

Your spouse and children are covered in your handprints. They can be healthy handprints or handprints of emotional baggage and spiritual confusion. Hold them close, and help them feel your love and acceptance. Be vulnerable and truthful. Become open-handed about your dreams and your fears. A close-fisted life is insecure, distrusting, and distant. An open-handed life is secure, trusting, and intimate. Handle others as your heavenly Father handles you because you are a product of His grace. See the scars from the unjust nails in your Savior’s hands. See your undeserving self in your Savior’s hand. His hands are your salvation.

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