The
Hand of the Lord
pamela spurling
Many
times I have stated or thought in times of
trial: The arm or the hand of the Lord is not
shortened that it cannot save - nor His ear
heavy, that it cannot hear. I say this in
response to difficult situations, poor health,
wayward children, financial reverses or
adversity and, among many other things, despair.
Have you ever sought to understand or answer:
How long is the arm of the Lord or how great is
the hand of the Lord? And if we cannot begin to
answer the question: how long is the arm of the
Lord, then how can we possibly fathom that the
arm or the hand of the Lord is not shortened
that it cannot save.
Behold, the LORD’S hand
is not shortened,
that it cannot save;
neither his ear heavy,
that it cannot hear:”
Isaiah 59.1
How great is the Hand of the
Lord? The Lord who holds His hand over the sea…
The Lord who shakes the trees of the wilderness…
The Lord who calms the sea that the wind and the
waves obey Him… The Lord who who says (Isaiah
52.2) “Is my hand shortened at all, that it
cannot redeem?” Do you see: at. all.
“Is my hand shortened at all…”
There is nothing too hard for
the Lord. I may face a mountain of troubles, I
may grieve or struggle with health trials or
disappointment or loss or financial adversity -
but this I know –I know– there is
nothing too hard for the Lord. Nothing. The hand
of the Lord is not shortened at all.
There is no life, no situation, no trial, no
hardship too far or too hard for the Lord. The
hand of the Lord is not shortened at all.
The enemy of God, the enemy of our souls would
have us to believe otherwise. The enemy, the
devil, would have us to believe that we are
without hope, that we have failed too many times
- or worse, that though we might not be failing
at the moment, it’s only a matter of time where
we will fail again and then again we will be too
far for the Lord or beyond hope - beyond hope of
ever doing better - ever getting things right.
The enemy may even persuade us to believe that
it would be better if we were dead - that our
life is of little use - of little or no worth -
that we are the only ones with the type of
troubles or the sins or the perpetual
destructive habits.
The enemy is constantly waring
against our members seeking whom he may devour.
He is at once our tempter, deceiver and accuser.
Consider that when temptation comes, it is
sweet… seemingly harmless, easy and without
consequence: Here… have this food, tell this
lie, destroy this evidence, no one will see, no
one will know, tell that secret… or whatever.
But then if we yield to temptation - whatever it
is, instantly(!) our tempter becomes our
accuser: Ha, how could you have been so dumb,
how could you have done that, you always do
that, you’ll never get past this, you’ll never
be thin, healthy, strong, trustworthy,
competent… or whatever.
But God. We turn to God, we turn
to the Truth: And we hear: “Is my hand shortened
at all…?”
I think of the verse: “This poor
man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him
out of all his troubles.” (Psalm 34.6) You see,
the Lord hears and the Lord heals and the Lord
lifts. He is at once indeed Jehovah-jireh (the
Lord our provider) and Jehovah-rapha (the Lord
our healer) and Jehovah-shammah (The Lord is
present) and Jehovah-Shalom (the Lord our
peace).
He is our All in all - for this
I know: He saved this girl. And if He
thought on this girl, He will surely
think on you. This poor girl cried and the LORD
heard her and saved her out of all her troubles.
Because this whosoever believed.
This whosover believes.
That all the people of the earth
might know
the hand of the LORD,
that it is mighty:
that ye might fear the LORD
your God for ever.
Joshua 4.24
We trust in and proclaim His greatness… we
consider that His arm is not short nor His hand
shortened that it cannot save. Over the past
week I have thought on the hand of the LORD… my
own hand in pain because of gout/arthritis in my
thumb - my hand has failed me, so to speak, a
few times - pain prevented its use. But the Lord
is never stilted or halted from His work - He is
ever present, ever able, ever waiting, ever
watching, ever providing, ever preparing, ever
guiding, ever preventing… and on and on: ever
able. And I marvel that the hand of the Lord is
never shortened that it cannot save - no matter
what, no matter when.
So, have you asked: How long is the arm of
the Lord?
sincerely, pamela spurling
©A Christian Home ~
Letters To My Sisters ~ 2007 |