Whose Hands Are You In Part 2 Series

Whose Hands Are You In? Part 2

Scripture: Psalms 139: 13-18; John 3:16

Introduction

Last week I shared with you the introduction to this short series of messages focusing on knowing whose hands you are in. Last week I shared with you an analogy using a car and how when we drive our cars, the cars are in our hands, meaning they are under our control and care. Through that analogy I was attempting to demonstrate how God takes care of us. This morning we will dig a little deeper into our understanding of why it is a good idea to be in God’s hands.

As many of you know, I grew up in a small town in middle Tennessee. I shared a bedroom with my two older brothers and could be found in this room whenever I was not outside. Our home at that time did not have "family rooms" like houses have today so our bedroom was for us our family room. There were many nights when my brothers would be asleep and I would just lay in bed thinking. I would be thinking about things that no one could answer. For example, I often thought about how I could be made with the looks and mindset that I had in the family I grew up in. I wondered what I would have been like if I had different parents and lived somewhere else. Then I would think about the fact that who I was happened not by chance but because of my two parents coming together and conceiving me. If either of my parents had married someone else I would not be here today because it took both of their DNA to produce me. These are the thoughts that were running through my head before I was a teenager.

The other thing that I thought about often was about becoming an adult. I was not in any hurry to become an adult because they were supposed to know a lot of stuff and be able to handle any problem. My life was pretty good with my parents making all of the decisions. If a problem arose in the house, I did not have to worry about it unless I was the problem. My parents took care of the bills, the food and all of my needs. My life was pretty good from that viewpoint. I would have sleepless nights as a child worrying about if I could handle things and take care of a family when I grew up. Those were scary nights for me. I was not one of those kids who walked around mad saying "I can’t wait until I am grown and on my own." I walked around mad with the full intentions of being mad "at home." At a very early age I understood this one simple fact: my parents made me, they loved me and it was their responsibility to take care of me. I was in very good hands with the parents that God had given me. I understood their responsibility towards me, but better still, they understood it. Some parents today do not understand the responsibility they have towards their kids. They treat their kids as if they are trying to be their best friends. Friendship is nice; but do not forget there will be many times when you will not be able to be a friend.

When I became a teenager and really begin to grow in my relationship with God, a lot of things changed for me. The things that used to scare me did not scare me as much and soon they did not scare me at all. Early in my teenage years I came to understand that although I was a product of my parents, I had a God who had taken a very special interest in my creation and development. It was during these early years when I began to understand that when I prayed God was listening and answering. Although there were things that I worried about, deep within me I knew that God was listening when I talked with Him and I did not have to have all of the answers as long as I was in His hands. There was a popular song I heard that really brought this home to me and it said "Put your hands in the hands of the Man who stilled the waters; put your hands in the hands of the Man who crossed the sea. When you look at yourself, you can look at others differently; put your hand in the hand of the Man from Galilee." This morning I ask you again, "Do you know if you are in good hands?"

I. Special Care Went into Your Making

In recognizing that we are in good hands, we must first go back to the beginning and understand "why" we are in good hands. To understand why being in God’s hands is the ultimate, we must understand the meaning of "value". Value is defined as "that quality of a thing which makes it more or less desirable, useful." When we consider how God made each of us, the care that He took in our development has made us extremely valuable. Even while you were being formed in your mother’s womb, God knew you and placed value upon you. Let me give you an everyday example of value. Let’s say a man is getting ready to propose to a woman and is in the process of picking out an engagement ring. This man who has won the heart of this woman, who has all of the qualities that the woman looked for, goes to Wal-Mart and purchases an engagement ring with ¼ carat diamond for $175. He purchases this ring after his fiancée had already took him shopping for rings at some of the nicer diamond stores. When he gives her the ring, what do you think her was? Would she place any real value at all upon this ring from Wal-Mart? I know women who wear their rings proudly, wanting people to see the ring and how big the stone is. Do you think she would do that? No she probably wouldn’t if she lives in Johnson County, KS. However, if this man had the money and went to Zales and brought a 4 carat ring for $10,000, everyone she met would see this ring. She would take out insurance to cover the ring just in case it is lost or damaged. She would treasure the ring. Why, because the ring was valuable to her. The diamond was valuable because of its size, clarity and how it was cut. That value was transferred to her when she received the ring from her fiancée. Well, in God’s eyes you are like that $10,000 diamond, except He is the one that formed you and made you valuable.