Have you found yourself falling these days? Unsure of what is coming next? With all the spiritual turmoil going on in the world, I suspect you know you are not alone. The maelstrom of violence has reached levels we have never seen in our lifetime. Finding peace and security seems to be a fruitless pursuit. But with all that is happening, wouldn’t it be comforting to know there is a place of safety? For those who know their God and rely on Him in faith, we know we are safe in God’s hands.
A bird in the hand
The other day we found an adult bird sitting on the sidewalk outside our motel room. When I picked it up, I saw no injury and was surprised at how docile it was. I was unsure what brought this feathered friend to our door, but we could tell it was not well. As I cradled this tiny life in my hands we prayed and talked about how best to care for it. Then, as Wanda got a box to place it in, this tiny creature lost its battle with life and passed away.
This was the second time I held the life of another in my hands while I watched its life drain out like a plug being pulled in a tub. The first happened on November 20, 2009, when our conure, Cordi, died. Then, as now, the grief and sadness at the loss could not be avoided. How I longed to spare the life of these little creatures but could not.
Safe, in God's hands
Holding life in my hands reminded me of not only how fragile life is, but also how safe that bird was in my hands. Whatever had happened to it up to that point, I did not know, but I knew that nothing else would happen to it as long as I cradled that life in my palms. I was much bigger and stronger than the bird, determined to keep it safe.
My hands are small and frail unlike God’s hands
If I, being a mere mortal, could have such passion to care for creation, how much more is God caring for us? After all, He created us in His image and knows how tiny and vulnerable we all are. Don’t we need to be cradled in the safety of His hands as I cradled that little bird?
As the world pivots between light and dark in these perilous times, more than ever we need to know where there is safety. There is no safety in the public square, churches or even in the privacy of our homes. Evil has an extensive reach and, as we have found this past year, has wielded its power across the globe. Where can we turn to for safety in these days?
Falling into the hands of God
Long ago, when our family lived in comfortable suburbia with our big house, car and secure business, we could not see the future. We did not understand what would happen to the world. What we knew was that God was warning His people to come out of Egypt. Our family heeded that warning and left everything behind to follow God.
Thirteen years later, having endured the wilderness, we are less secure financially than we ever were, yet safer than we have ever been. Therein lies a great mystery. We are safer in the hands of a God we cannot see than in the hands of man we can see. As we place our trust in the systems of man God has an incredible way of shaking those flimsy foundations and exposing our misplaced faith. 2020 has been a year of shaking.
By escorting us out of trusting in man, and falling because of it, we needed safety. Jesus wants us to be safe in God’s hands instead of being exposed to brutality in the hands of man but we must surrender to His will. He wanted us to discover He is the sure foundation we can trust in. When we learned this truth we found nothing could shake us, especially this year.
Uncompromising faith in God
To allow ourselves to be safe in God’s hands means that we cannot look to be safe in the hands of another. Man will fail us at every level, but our perfect God will not. God will neither abandon us to the tempest or leave us to die under the scorching sun. He will walk with us through the valley and stand with us on the mountain, but we must have uncompromising faith in Him. If we do not, we will not be safe.
Jesus must be the only One in whom we trust, for there is no other place of safety outside of His hands.
In this podcast I implore you to place all of your faith and trust in God. Hold nothing back. Let yourself go so you can be safe in God’s hands.
Blessings,
Homer and Wanda
