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The Unseen Hand

5/28/2013

For a number of years, a large black and white portrait of me was displayed inside my childhood home. Regardless of the many houses we lived in, that picture could be found along with other family photographs either hanging on a wall or else sitting on top of a table somewhere in the house; many times in a prominent location to afford guests the opportunity to view it as well.

In this picture, a months-old chubby me is sitting upright on some type of thick towel-like material that had been arranged in such a way that a wide mound of it was immediately behind me. I always thought that it was the photographer’s way to add further dimension or interest to
the picture. It was not until many years later as my mother and I sat talking around the kitchen table that she shared the story of the events surrounding this photographic session.

The photographer had wanted me placed in a specific pose, yet I was still too young to sit upright on my own. To get the effect he wanted, the photographer had my mother place her hand underneath the mounded material behind me to steady me and give me support long enough for the camera shutter to be snapped.   Her hand is not visible to anyone who views the end result, yet her unseen steadying presence made me appear stronger than I was.

God’s unseen hand does the same for His children as my mother’s hand did for me in the photograph. He strengthens and helps us.

Isaiah 41:10 “I [God] will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

He watches over and guides us.

Psalms 32:8 “I [God] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”

And He cushions us from the jagged parts of reality that threaten to harm us.

Psalm 32:7 “You [God] are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

While we may not be able to see His hand in our current situation, we have the assurance that He is always with us.

Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

If we really take a look back to the times when we have come through difficult circumstances, we can see the evidence of God’s Hand in these many situations that we have encountered and have somehow – impossibly – come through only because of the strength, protection and guidance He steadily gives us.

THE UNSEEN HAND
By A.J. Sims

There is an Unseen Hand to me
That leads thru ways I cannot see
While going through this world of woe
This hand still leads me as I go.

I’m trusting to The Unseen Hand
That guides me through this weary land
And some sweet day I’ll reach that strand
Still guided by The Unseen Hand

His hand has led through shadows drear
And while it leads I have no fear
I know t’will lead me to that home
Where sin nor sorrows e’er can come.

I’m trusting to The Unseen Hand
That guides me through this weary land
And some sweet day I’ll reach that strand
Still guided by The Unseen Hand

I long to see my Saviors face
And sing the story saved by grace
And there upon that golden strand
I’ll praise Him for His guiding hand.

I’m trusting to The Unseen Hand
That guides me through this weary land
And some sweet day I’ll reach that strand
Still guided by The Unseen Hand

This assurance of His unseen hand is available to you, too.  The choice is yours. He’s waiting for you.

(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)

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Dear Diary ...

5/14/2013

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Not long ago, while searching through one of my bulging bookshelves, I came across several journals that I had written over the span of three or four years. Unable to find the book I had originally been seeking, I opted instead to curl up into a cozy chair and have a little visit with my past self while I read about life during that time.

It was good to take this leisurely walk down Memory Lane.  Each page contained private thoughts (concerns, confessions, hopes and dreams) as well as an accounting of the people I met, conversations I had, places I visited, how the workday unfolded, the daily chores I either had to do or else had performed, and the projects I hoped to accomplish in the house or yard.

Frequently interspersed between these subjects were the many prayers to God for help or
healing for others or me. When an unbearable, impossible or unnavigable situation had risen to its’ apex and was about to crush me, the next page would reveal the details of how God
unhurriedly, gently and faithfully provided an answer at just the right time. Recorded immediately following the resolution of a situation was the prayers of thankfulness for the many ways – oftentimes unexpected - in which God had supplied the answers that I had diligently sought.

Within these pages I discovered in amazement how God brought into reality the dreams that I had carried in my heart and prayed over for as long as I could remember. There were several times – more than I care to admit - when I had nearly given up.   I poured my heart out to God and would constantly have to remind myself to hang on because the God who had answered earlier prayers (as evidenced by previous journal entries), would somehow also furnish answers to these current matters even though I could not see how.   On more than one occasion I whispered the same words that the father of the possessed son said to Jesus in Mark 9:24: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.” Ever eager to help His children, He also helped me.  It was with great joy to read the evidence of His faithfulness recorded in black and white by my own hand on the pages of my journal.  I fell in love with Him even more.

While we are in the midst of trying times, it’s easy to question where God is or if He has forgotten us because, instead of seeing His hand directly at work in a situation, we see only the blaring, crushing details of our oppressive circumstances.

In ages past, God knew that the Israelites of the Old Testament would behave similarly. He had performed great feats for them, yet each time they would enter into a new seemingly impossible
situation, they would forget that what He had done before, He could do again. As a result, He frequently admonished them to ‘forget not’ or to ‘remember.’

Deuteronomy 4:9 “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live.  Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”

He knew that they would need to intentionally remember what He had done for them in the past so that they could be confident that He would take care of them from generation to generation. But He didn’t want them to stop with only remembering for themselves; He also wanted them to tell their children and grandchildren of the wonderful provision He had made for them in every contingency.  As a result of their repeated telling to others, they would also be reminded of God’s faithfulness to them which would, in turn, also be an encouragement in their present circumstances.

Today we have God’s Word (the Bible) available to us as a written reminder of the things He has done, and the things He longs to do for His children.  While the Holy Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, I like to think of it also as God’s journal to us where we can read of the struggles,
failures and triumphs of others as well as the abiding faithfulness of God in any and every situation that mankind could find himself in the midst of. It is also filled with the many promises
He will fulfill in our life if we let Him.

Psalm 103:2-5 “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

While it is not good to dwell on the past, it is beneficial to see the route you have travelled and the many obstacles you have encountered (and hopefully overcome) along the way. If you look
closely, you will be able to see evidence of the presence of God’s hand at every turn.

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

For those times when you cannot see His hand, trust His heart.   He will never fail to keep His promises. The choice is yours.  He’s waiting for you.

(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)

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When You Can't, He Can

5/1/2013

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In the aftermath of any life-altering event, it’s challenging to think or hear clearly in the never- ending din of society; when the return to life-as-normal has to be resumed though your soul cringes at the merest thought of it and huddles in a corner while it whimpers
that it isn’t ready to face reality just yet. Even so, you gradually unwind from your huddled position and slowly begin to press onward as you go through the motions of taking care of routine business matters: bill-paying, grocery shopping, yard work, etc. All the while, you share a half-hearted shallow discourse with others who cross your path, using pat, non-committal phrases as you ensure yet another well-meaning soul that you are doing ‘okay.’ (Doesn’t that word speak volumes?!) You return to work only when you have to and thankfully end up losing yourself in the many familiar details of your job. Here
at work, people cannot see the numbing pain that is masked by your smile and your diligent – though rote - productivity, yet they could see it if they chose to look closely into your eyes.

Resuming life-as-normal is a daunting task after any traumatic event. Life was already challenging to deal with when it did not contain a life-altering event. Inundated with high emotions and stress, we look to have our life made easier by the electronic products that
we have grown accustomed to. Yet the more our lives have been flooded with them and all the knowledge that comes with it, the more our vision has been clouded to the point where life feels more complicated and overwhelming than ever. The technology we look to every day that was meant to give us more free time and greater ease of living while supplying us with the means to draw the world-wide community closer to us has instead made us a society rife with pseudo relationships, enslaved us to apps and social networks, and created a Pavlovian response in each of us so that we immediately reach for our phone whenever we hear a ding, or bell, or some other (usually annoying) sound announcing that we have been sent a text, an email, or a push notification relating to a breaking story, all the while hoping that it’s someone reaching out to us in this turbulent season of life who will lend us comfort or supply at least one answer to the many questions we have. For all of our communication capabilities, we struggle to find even one person to turn to in time of need and wonder if anyone anywhere cares that we are struggling each day to simply survive.

When you can’t deal with life in all of its craziness, what should you do?    Return to the basics and begin by trusting in the One who will not disappoint.

When you can’t find where you fit into life, Jesus will never reject you when you come to Him.

John 6:37 (AMP) “All whom My Father gives (entrusts) to Me [Jesus] will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me].”

When you can’t find inner contentment or tranquility, set your mind on Christ.

Isaiah 26:3 (AMP) “You [God] will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.”

When you can’t clearly see the direction to take or the decisions to make, He will guide you.

Isaiah 42:16 [NIV] “I [God] will lead the blind by ways they have no known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”

When you can’t see how you can pay the bills or supply clothes and food for you and your family, He will provide.

Philippians 4:19 [AMP] “And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

And when you can’t calm the anxious thoughts that race through your mind, share them with Him.

1 Peter 5:7 [AMP] “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him [Jesus], for He cares for you affectionately and cares
about you watchfully.”

When you can’t see how sense can be made of this mess, He will make it all work out, somehow and in His time.

Romans 8:28 (NIV) “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Trust in the One who will never leave you to handle this life on your own.

Deuteronomy 31:8 “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

When you can’t, He can.  The choice is yours. He’s waiting for you.

(For more information about forming a relationship with the Lord, see How You Can Find Him located at the top of this page.)

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The Unseen Hand

Dear Diary ...

When You Can't, He Can

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