The Mighty Hand of God

 •  4 min. read  •  grade level: 7
Did you ever ponder that expression, “The mighty hand of God,” and did you ever take time to consider its meaning?
Let us look at, two or three scriptures which tell us something of what that mighty hand has done. In Psalm 102:2525Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. (Psalm 102:25), we find these words, “Of old Thou hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.” What a wonderful work! how truly the work of a mighty hand. Again in Psalm 19:11<<To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.>> The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handywork. (Psalm 19:1), “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handy work.” And once more, “The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.... All those things hath Mine hand made,.... saith the Lord” (Isa. 66:1-21Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? 2For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. (Isaiah 66:1‑2)). Surely when we look around us at all the wonders of the heavens, the sun, the moon, the innumerable stars — each one a world in itself — and then at all the wonders of the earth, in its animal, in its vegetable, and in its mineral kingdoms, we are ready to exclaim, “The hand must indeed be mighty which has made all this.”
But has that mighty hand only created all these marvelous things and then left them? Ah no! He supports and cares for the works of His hands, as we read in Psalm 145:1616Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. (Psalm 145:16), “Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.” Not one creature, however small or despised, is forgotten by Him, And will He forget the youngest and the weakest of His children?
How much more that hand has done for us, than for any other creature; turn once more to the Scripture, and read in Zechariah 13:66And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. (Zechariah 13:6), “And we shall say unto Him, what are these wounds in Thine hands?” Can you not answer this question and say, “He was wounded for my transgression”? How it surpasses all our thoughts, that mighty One, the Creator of heaven and earth, humbling Himself, and becoming obedient unto death, allowing one of the creatures His hand had made, to wound Him, to nail Him to a cross, and all that He might bear the punishment of their sin, yea of our sin.
And in resurrection, we still see Him the same loving, tender, Saviour; we hear Him saying to Thomas, “Reach hither thy finger and behold My hands” (John 20:2121Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. (John 20:21)) and again, those hands take bread and fish, and give them to the weary disciples, after their night of fruitless labor on the sea; and the last sight they had of Him, was with hands uplifted to bless them, as “He was parted from them, and was carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:5151And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:51)). And is that mighty hand still in exercise for us? Yes, it is holding us day and night; and we have our Lord’s own word that, “Neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand” (John 10:2828And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28)). And who is it that He is holding so safely and so surely in His mighty hand? His sheep; those who have heard His voice and have come to Him for salvation and protection.
Before closing this little paper, shall we go back to the verse we began with? We shall find it in 1 Peter 5:66Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: (1 Peter 5:6), “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God.” Does it not humble us to think of His might, and does it not humble us to think of His love? But what is the next verse? “Casting all your care upon Him, for He careth for you.” Did you ever care for a little helpless child, or even a little bird, or a little puppy or a kitten? Then you have some faint idea of what caring for another means. It does not mean loving from a long distance; no, it means daily, hourly, almost constant acts of thoughtful love.
“Do you not often forget about your baby, when you are attending her?” a friend once asked, and the young mother replied in surprise, “Why no, she is always in my mind.” And if that is the way we care for what we love, is not our Lord’s care for His loved ones far better? Can we not safely trust Him with everything that troubles or distresses us, knowing that the hand that cares for us is “mighty.”