God’s Hand
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
OPENING: There is a saying that goes - “Those who leave everything in God’s hand will eventually see God’s hand in everything”. That is a very powerful and true statement the problem comes because we often fail to leave things in God’s hand. We want to try to work it out, do what we think is best, until we totally make a mess of a situation and then we want to cry out God here you go fix this for me please.
No before I go any further, we know God is a spirit and a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones. Luke 24:39 says “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have”. So, what are we talking about when we say God’s Hand(s)
This is called an Anthropomorphism – which is an interpretation of what is not human or personal in terms of human or personal characteristics. It is humanizing God so that we can try to understand Him. Man cannot understand God unless God reveals Himself to us, so we come up with anthropomorphism to try and describe that which we really cannot describe.
PRAYER:
SCRIPTURE: There are 122 verses in the Bible that mention God’s Hand(s). I am not going to give everyone, but I do want to mention a few Isaiah 49:16 says “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me” – if that doesn’t give you a feeling of security nothing will. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”. You ought to tap yourself on the chest and say it’s going to be alright. Isaiah 48:13 says, “My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together”. I don’t know about you but that just lets me know that God is in control.
The hand of God is a symbol of God’s power, creative aspects, strength, guidance, instruction, and discipline.
It is the moving of God’s hand(s) that often seems to be the area we have trouble understanding until later on when we look back and realize that God had His hand on that. Often when we are going through a difficult or confusing time, we are unaware of how God is guiding us. Sometimes it can be years later before it finally becomes clear why God brought us through that experience the way He did. Now when we look back, we can see, the hand of God moving, guiding, protecting, upholding, delivering us and protecting us.
You know I like dealing with the numbers and their meaning in scripture. The number 3 is a very important number in scripture. 3 represents fullness - the state of being filled to capacity, the state of being complete or whole. There are 3 aspects of time Past, Present, Future. There were 3 parts of the Tabernacle Outer Court, Inner Court, and The Holy of Holies. David was anointed 3 times 1st time to be King, 2nd time to be King of Judah, 3rd time King over all Israel. Joseph had 3 coats the 1st his father gave him, the 2nd Potiphar gave him, the 3rd Pharoah gave him. 3 the Death, Burial, and Resurrection. 3 Justification, Sanctification, Glorification. There are 3 features of the preeminence of God 1 His love is unconditional, 2 He is eternal, 3 His immutable nature. 3 manifestations of the Godhead 1 God the Father, 2 God the Son, God the Holy Spirit this is called the fulness of the Godhead.
Today I want to deal with the 3 aspects of the hand of God
1.) The visible or the present hand of God – This is what God is doing right now. This is what we can see right now. In the midst of a Pandemic in the midst of a recession, in the midst of trials and tribulations I still have joy. One song writer said it like this “I know the Lord has laid His hands on me”. When I look around and see how He blesses me morning by morning new mercies I see. I have strength in my body, I have health, He keeps me safe from dangers seen and unseen. I got a situation in my life currently that if God didn’t put His hand on it and in it I would have lost my mind, but I see His hand working it out for my good. Stop for a minute and realize the present hand of God on your life. You have a reasonable portion of your health and strength. You are blessed in the city, you are blessed in the field, you are blessed when you come and when you go -That’s the present hand of God in your life. I can see it right now. He’s doing it. Tap yourself and say the present hand of God is a good start Bishop but I want more I want to go high I want to go to another level. Remember I said 3 aspects of the Hand of God well let’s go to another level.
2.) The observable past hand of God – this is what God has done. When I look back over my life and I think about how He delivered me. How I could have been in a totally different condition. I could be in the prison yard or I could be in the graveyard but when I look back and see how God had His hand in that mess then I see the observable past hand of God. When I look back and remember how I was once looking down the barrel of a gun and He kept that man from shooting me. When I had the pills in one hand and the alcohol in the other and I was asking myself is this the end and God had His hand on me even then and delivered me out of the hands of the enemy. When I read the Bible and I see how He healed the sick, raised the dead, delivered from the Lion’s den, brought the 3 Hebrew boys out of the fiery furnace, parted the Red Sea for the Children of Israel. When I look back in the past I see the Hand of God then and I know He is the same yesterday today and forever more. That’s 2, 2 means division Night and Day, Old Testament & New Testament, Old Man & New Creature. There’s 1 more level!.
3.) The invisible purpose of the Hand of God. This is the one that oftentimes we don’t quite understand. This is the Hand of God leading and guiding us in His ways. Someone may ask what are the ways of God? Psalm 25:4 says, “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths”. The ways in which God deals with us are His ways. The ways of God are the choices He makes concerning us. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end”. Isaiah 55:9 says, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thought”. His ways are higher than our ways He has His own ways, and there is no room for our choice. This is His purpose and His Hand at work in our lives. He deals with one person in this manner and with another person in that manner. His ways are what He deems best. The invisible purpose of the hand of God is that God does according to His desire and choice. He wants to accomplish this matter but not something else. He wants us to encounter this circumstance but not that one. These are the ways of God. There is a says that goes “You cannot go with God and remain where you are.” That is the invisible purpose of the Hand of God. We may not quite understand why something goes the way it is but somewhere down the road we can look and say Oh that was the invisible hand of God at work, I didn’t know it then but He was doing something.
WATCH THIS:- I had something in the back of my mind that I couldn’t understand and it was a question that I thought I would carry with me and have it unanswered forever, but God, on this week I had someone speak something to me and what they said was “Se you didn’t understand it but God had His Hand on it and He was working something out that you didn’t even know was going on and when He had completed what He was doing then that is when you were able to do something else”. There was a purpose that was invisible to me that I didn’t know about but God had a plan and a purpose and He was working it out in His hands. It was the invisible hand of God working out His purpose with and through me.
UNDERSTAND: The invisible purpose of the Hand of God is 3-fold – remember 3 means fulness. God’s greatest desire is for you and I to have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. This is God’s hand guiding you into His purpose.
1. Know Him. – Paul said in Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death”. That’s more than just a casual knowing, it’s deeper than just book knowledge, it’s an intimate and personal relationship. It’s a knowing that comes from spending time with Him. My wife and I have a relationship that is at the point now where we can communicate and not even say a word. There’s a look or a touch or a sigh that can say something without saying a word. She can tell me want she wants not by saying I want this, or I want that but simply by saying OOH that’s nice. I know that means I would like that for Christmas or Birthday or Anniversary. WHY Because I know her.
The 2 best ways to get to know God are to study to show thyself approved. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”. John 5:39 says, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says “Pray without ceasing”.
God wants us to know Him and the purpose of His Hand Guiding you and me is to come into the knowledge of Him, not just His acts, but His way.
2. To be an example. Remember we are Kingdom Ambassadors and part of your destiny and the purpose of God’s hand is to live our lives in a righteous manner where people will see God in us and glorify Him. 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 says “Ye are our epistles written in our hearts, known and read of all men. Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart”. I said this some weeks ago we are to be the 29th chapter of the Book of Acts. The Book of Acts is not complete WHY because God is still writing it through you and through me.
When people look at your life, look at my life they should be able to see and know what God considers right and wrong. They should be able to read if He can do it for them, If He can fix it for them, If He can do that in them then I know He can do it for me and come and develop a relationship with Him because we were an example an epistle to them.
3. To be a witness for Jesus Christ. We are all called to ministry, the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18 says, “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation”. This doesn’t mean we will all stand behind the pulpit. But is does mean with the guidance of the Hand of God through the Holy Ghost, every believer is to share the gospel through words and conduct. I have a metal plate on my brief case that says “Every where you go Preach Christ and when necessary use words”.
CLOSING: - Bishop you may ask - How can I recognize the hand of God moving in my life? Well let me give you a 3 part answer:
1st you must familiarize yourselves with God’s Word 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works”, You have to read the Bible because it tells us about who God is and what He does. It lets us know and understand how God works and how we should respond to Him.
2nd you we must communicate with God through prayer. So many times, we say Love is the key to a relationship and true Love is extremely important, if love is the foundation of a relationship communication is the mortar that holds it all together. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to al men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him”. See that is communication - we can ask God for wisdom, ask Him to help us recognize His Hand in our lives, ask Him to help us to submit to His will. We can thank Him for how His hand has guided us. We can ask Him to help us learn His lesson for us, in His time, for whatever situation His hand is bringing us through.
3rd you must learn to trust God even when you can’t trace Him. So often we are quick to say Why did You allow this to happen God? Why must I do that or do that God? Understand it is not wrong to ask these questions in a spirit of humility, but it is wrong to doubt God’s goodness or the quality of His plan. We will make something worse by not trusting God when we need to say Lord I trust you and I know you are working it out by your mighty hand.
Remember the song we used to sing as children “He’s got the whole world in His Hands”.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
