OUR TIMES ARE IN GOD’S HAND

“MY TIMES are IN YOUR HAND; deliver me from the HAND of my enemies, and from those who persecute me” – Psalm 31:15

There is no anxiety, fear, or perplexity to the person who knows that OUR TIMES ARE IN GOD’S HAND: “MY TIMES are IN YOUR HAND; deliver me from the HAND of my enemies, and from those who persecute me” (Psa.31:15). Despite the perilous days of conflicts, pandemics, depression, perversions, and abounding iniquity that we live in, there is a Hand that never loses control – the Hand of the Almighty! God has got the whole world in His Hand, including our lives and times: “In whose HAND is the LIFE of every living thing, and the BREATH of all mankind” (Job 12:10). It takes consciously submitting ourselves into God’s Hand, to navigate the tough and trying times.

Psalm 31 tells the story of David, a man after God’s heart, in which he narrated the difficulties he was facing and his resolve to continue to trust God especially with regards to “times” that were beyond his understanding. The fulcrum of the story is the powerfully encouraging fifteenth verse: “MY TIMES are in YOUR HAND; deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.” The “times” being spoken of refer to the various events that come into our lives, whether we see them as good or bad. Often, the events or “times” we see as “bad” are the very times that move us closer to our destiny in Christ than the good times. When we realize that God knows the “times and seasons” of our lives, then we can have tremendous confidence in His loving care as we walk through those times.

All things and all times – good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant – are in the Sovereign Control of God’s Hand: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom.8:28). While God may not author every event, He can use every event to draw us closer to Him and to mature us. If our hearts are desirous for the things of God, then we can stand on His Word and win: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way” (Psa.37:23). The person in whom God delights is one who follows God, trusts Him, and is committed to doing His Will. God watches over and makes firm every step such a person takes. We’re encouraged to continue to trust in the Lord as we navigate the challenging “times,” knowing that God is forever good!

Having been privileged in this passing month to meditate on diverse dimensions of the Hand of the Almighty God, let’s recap few of these:

God’s Upholding Hand: “My soul follows close behind You; YOUR RIGHT HAND UPHOLDS ME” (Psa.63:8).

God’s Uplifting Hand: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under GOD’S MIGHTY HAND that He may LIFT YOU UP in due time” (1 Pet. 5:6).

God’s Hand of Power: “IN YOUR HAND is POWER and MIGHT; In YOUR HAND it is to make great and to give strength to all” (1Chr.29:12b).

God’s Hand of Protection: “Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the SAVING STRENGTH of HIS RIGHT HAND” (Psa.20:6).

God’s Hand of Victory: “O sing unto the LORD a NEW SONG; for He has done marvelous things; HIS RIGHT HAND and HIS HOLY ARM, have gained Him the VICTORY” (Psa.98:1).

God’s Hand in Performance: “…NO ONE CAN RESTRAIN HIS HAND or say to Him, “What have You done?” (Dan.4:35b).

God’s Hand of Vengeance: “If I whet My glittering sword, and MY HAND takes hold on JUDGEMENT, I will render VENGEANCE to My enemies…” (Deut. 32:41a).

God’s Hand of Judgement: “But the HAND of the Lord was HEAVY on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors” (Sam.5:6a)

God’s Hand of Comfort: “SPEAK COMFORT to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the LORD’S HAND double for all her sins” (Isa.40:2).