In His Hand

Last week we looked at Jesus as our Good Shepherd, who knows us and calls us each by name, and this week we’re going to discover that we are held in His capable hand.  Verse twenty-eight of chapter ten gives us a glorious promise that we, believers in Jesus Christ, have eternal life and will never be snatched out of Christ’s hand that holds us.  What a reassuring promise!  What a beautiful picture!

We are safe in the hand of the omnipotent God and nothing can remove us from His grasp!

​Now I’m not entering into a Calvin vs. Armenian--God’s sovereignty versus free will--debate.  The Greek word in John 10:28 used for snatch means to take by force or seize.  Thus the word snatch in this verse is an action done without the consent of the recipient.  In other words we could say that no one will kidnap, take by force, or seize us out of Christ’s hand.  This is the promise Jesus gives us.  However, we don’t live in God’s hand by default; we must choose to become residents.  As the psalmist wrote in Psalm 91:9-10, “Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge—no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.”

Does this mean that bad things will never happen to us?  No, Christians are persecuted, martyred, and afflicted all the time.  So what is the promise then?  It’s that no evil shall befall us without our Heavenly Father’s permission.  The verb befall has a sense of happening outside our control.  Now the control we have over the events that surround our lives is extremely minimal.  However, the Sovereign God’s control over the universe is absolute.  So if we choose to take up residence outside of the Good Shepherd’s hand, we are deciding to live our lives within the small sphere of our limited control and will thus encounter calamity because most things are beyond that small sphere.  However, by making God our dwelling place, we release the semblance of control we have and instead trust in His supreme sovereignty.  He is more than able to take care of us, and the painful things that do come into our lives are lovingly filtered through His gentle fingers.

So I ask you….are YOU dwelling in God’s hand?  Have YOU made Him your home and place of permanent residence?

There is no safer place to be than in the hands of the Almighty, Omnipotent, and Sovereign God.  And He, who has called you by name, is now inviting you into His sanctuary.  It is an open invitation, and the only thing that can stop us is ourselves.  Therefore, let’s move our spiritual address from Selfish Way to Palm of His Hand!  And let us make it our permanent and everlasting abode!​