Held in His Hands

This week’s post is a reflection of God’s sovereignty and care of his people.  God has promised to redeem and sanctify his people, caring for all our needs. Not a hair can fall from our heads against his will (Matthew 10:30.) We must look upon the Lord with childlike trust. We must look to him when we sin and when we are tempted. We must look to him as we walk with him through personal trials and seasons of ease. We must look to him as we share in the sufferings and rejoicings of the church. We must look to him when nothing in the world around us makes sense to us. He is our Rock and a Mighty Fortress. The following passage stood out to me as a reminder of God’s sovereign rule and his grace toward his people:

Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart are you going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you, and that he may confirm the word that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. “Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. Deuteronomy 9:5-6

I found Matthew Henry’s commentary on verses 1-6 helpful. The commentary is listed on http://biblehub.com at the bottom of the page. 

9:1-6 Moses represents the strength of the enemies they were now to encounter. This was to drive them to God, and engage their hope in him. He assures them of victory, by the presence of God with them. He cautions them not to have the least thought of their own righteousness, as if that procured this favour at God's hand. In Christ we have both righteousness and strength; in Him we must glory, not in ourselves, nor in any sufficiency of our own. It is for the wickedness of these nations that God drives them out. All whom God rejects, are rejected for their own wickedness; but none whom he accepts are accepted for their own righteousness. Thus boasting is for ever done away: see Eph 2:9,11,12.

Christians can be tempted to think that their works can earn them earthly prosperity or that God is punishing them when they go through trials. God does correct us and refine us but the punishment due our sins was paid by Christ. There is a temptation to look to ourselves and our plans rather than rest in the sufficiency of his provision. For example, if I am successful in my endeavors, there is a temptation to pride myself in my hard work. However, God gave me the ability to work and the grace to work diligently.  In moments when I’m stripped of my pride, and see my weakness, I’m driven to his strength. We are saved by God’s grace and our good works are by God’s grace. God set his love upon us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8.) Moment by moment we are sustained by God. Every aspect of our lives is in his hands. We are sustained by God in the moments that seem mundane and in moments that seem out of control. Nothing is outside of his control.

In Luke 12:10-12, Jesus told the apostles they would face persecution for their faith. He promised to provide for them. “And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. ” (vs 11-12) In dark days, God is just as much present, as in sunny days. He never leaves or forsakes his children. (Deuteronomy 31:6) Though persecution is a dark cloud, we suffer persecution because his light shines in us and we partake in Christ’s sufferings. That is a matter for great rejoicing (1 Peter 4:13-14)

Our Father sends us both dark cloudy providences and sunny providences by his merciful hand. I believe in the Trinity, though I can’t understand how God exists in three persons. Likewise, God is sovereign and loving though we can’t understand his high and holy ways and how he is directing providences to mold us like clay.  In Instruments In The Redeemer’s Hands, Paul Tripp writes: “at any moment in time, the right answer to the question, “What is God doing?” is, “Accomplishing his plan”” (page 29.) We know God is good and in Jeremiah 29:11 he tells us: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” He also tells us in Psalm 34:19: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." Our future and hope is found in Christ alone. In him we have forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

I came across the short book God's Light on Dark Clouds by Theodore Cuyler, (available free on http://gracegems.org) I was searching for something else but this came up. It looks like a good read and I am filing it for later. In doing a quick skim through, I found the following quote:

Nay, more, when we reach heaven, we may discover that the richest and deepest and most profitable experiences we had in this world—were those which were gained in the very roads from which we shrank back with dread. The bitter cups which we tried to push away, contained the medicines which we most needed. The hardest lessons which we learn—are those which teach us the most, and best fit us for service here and glory hereafter. It is the easiest thing in the world—to obey God when He commands us to do what we like, and to trust Him when the path is all sunshine. The real victory of faith is to trust God in the dark—and through the dark!

In thinking about dark clouds, I thought of the Lord at Calvary and the darkness that filled the sky in the middle of the day as he hung upon the cross (Mark 15:33.) Such darkness faintly echoed the darkness of my heart which the Lord bore in his body and nailed to the cross. The weight of such darkness, I will never know. I see the Lord’s face but Christ saw his wrath.

Our gracious and merciful God has determined exactly what each of us needs in our walk with him. God uses all providences to his glory and to aide in our sanctification. Like David, we can say:

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah

Psalm 62:5-8

In closing, I would like to share a poem I wrote as I considered God’s sovereignty and his loving care. The poem is scripturally based.

I walk a narrow path

It winds along the way

I cannot see what lies ahead

Around the bend

Yet the path is straight

As straight can be

Held fast, I move forward

I know not what’s ahead

But I know the Way

Though I wander

He’s steadfast

His rod and staff

Correct my steps

To the left I’ll look not

To the right I’ll look not

My treasure's in heaven
On Christ my eyes are set

Providence dare not be read-

God’s word is a lamp to my path

Thoughts of tomorrow

Are cast out at his gentle rebuke

My plans surrendered

To the Sovereign’s hand

His will be done

In his tender care

I’m prospered, never harmed

I’m safe in the Almighty’s hand

At the cross, he died for me

I prospered from his life

Laid down for me-then

Taken up again victoriously

As I walk the narrow path

I drink a cup of suffering

Though bitter, its taste is sweet

For lo He drank the cup of death for me

Silver and gold mark not my prosperity

I’m saved by grace

Faith is a gift given to me

Not a token for earthly gain

Riches unseen and immeasurable

Are made known to my soul

I am God’s. He is mine