It’s in God’s Hands
I cringe every time I hear that expression. Don't get me wrong. I am a devoted spiritual person and love God with all that I am. It has been my unfortunate experience, however, that those words are wielded as a weapon meant to sever further discussion of the matter at hand. They tend not to be an expression of total surrender to the Creator as they intimate.
There we are, locked in verbal combat, hoping to make our disparate points. We can see where our worthy opponent is in error. In the thick of this battle, we fine-tune our communication, considering every word's impact before it leaves our lips.Just at the moment when we know we are on the verge of victory, those killer words blast us from the flank. There seems to be no comeback. How can we fight God! We can retort, “Is it in God's hands?” at which time we are classed in with the original tempter who queried of Adam and Eve, “Has God said?”
At that juncture most of us simper off the battleground, licking our wounds. Our opponent has used the ultimate weapon against which there is no defense, for which there is no strategy that can regain the lost ground. Right?
We cannot ignore the possibility that they might be right. The circumstance in question may very well be under God's control. lf something is in God's hands, however, that position is not static but yields to our ability to release the situation to God.
We are fortunate in that God does not give us a plan and then leave us. He walks with us moment by moment. Even His beloved children of Israel had to watch Him every step of their way in the wilderness. His cloud guided them by day and the fire by night. Would we want Him to do more, or less than that for those of us who love Him today? I think not.
The way God has always dealt with His people cannot change, for the plan was, is, and shall be perfect. Our Creator knows our nature. He knows we might indeed wait for His direction. He also knows just as well that we have a tendency to ''run with the ball.'' What we forget is that the ''message'' we get from God in our time of decision, is His direction. What, then, does direction mean if not a way to orient ourselves before we move forward.
God does not tell us how each bend in the road will look ahead of time. There are many curvy trails and perilous drop offs out there. I believe that our loving Father would tell us about the whole path at that moment if we could comprehend it. As much as I love my children and wanted to guide them as they grew up, many times I found that I could not tell them much of what to expect down the road, even when it was very clear to me where their actions might take them, for good and bad. There is a time for hearing.
I have told a first grader that someday he will be a senior in high school. The impact is one of no understanding, almost as if I had been speaking in a foreign language. Likewise, very young children who are struggling to learn to tie shoes cannot conceive of their being able to do it without any thought in just a few years. This is how it is with us when our devoted heavenly Father attempts to explain things for which we have no present frame of reference.
What I am saying is the best news. We have the ability to be in the hands of God and not the other way around. It would be a mind-boggling prospect if we had God in our possession. It seems to me when we declare something is in God’s hands, we are making such a presumptuous statement. All that is asked of us is that we place ourselves, and not our problems, in His capable hands. That is how the solution requires our participation. It is we who must be willing to be subject to the great Master Planner.
So the expression should be, ''I am placing myself in the hands of God.'' To be in that position means that it is He who not only gives the initial direction, but the power to move forward, the wisdom to avoid the pitfalls of the path, the courage to change our plans if they are not lined up with His, and the humility and patience to seek His perfect plan.
Returning to our initial verbal exchange, we are ready to send our own zinger after our opponent believes there to be no way to counter that argument-stifling remark. I would expect the paradigm to shift when we say instead, “I am in God’s hands.”