Remember the song?
It's a celebration of God's loving embrace of
everyone in this big old world, and a good tune as well! I think it's a bit of
an exaggeration though. God doesn't need both hands to hold the world, in fact the
Bible states He is the One who has measured the waters ‘in the hollow of his
hand’ (Isa 40 v 12), and that 'In his hand are the deep places of the earth' (Ps
95:4).
Also the lives and destinies of
every man, woman and child that have ever lived are held in that mighty clasp. He's
the God in whose hand is the 'soul of every living thing, and the breath of all
mankind' Job 12 v 10. Daniel, an Old Testament Prophet, when talking to the
most important man on the planet at the time spoke of 'the God in whose hand
your breath is'.
But God has done more than create
and maintain the universe we live in and all the people in it. He saw us, lost,
hopeless and heading for judgement. He loved us, and gave His Son to die on our
behalf. Then He raised Him from the dead demonstrating that death's grip had
been broken. It took the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross to achieve
this. It is significant that both of the Saviour’s hands are used as proof of His
death and resurrection when one of His disciple’s, Thomas, is looking for
evidence that He is alive from the dead.
So sure, ‘He's got the itty bitty baby in his hand’, and ‘He's got the whole wide world in His hand’.
But in both of His hands, are the indelible marks of the suffering He went
through to deliver us from death and Hell itself.
We come under God's protection by
accepting that we are sinners, that Jesus ‘Christ died for our sins’ and that
He rose from the dead to prove that death had been conquered. He says about
those who believe on Him and who have trusted in Him to be their Good
Shepherd 'I give unto them eternal life;
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand' (John
10:28).
A terrified man once cried out saying, 'Lord, save me'. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his
hand, and caught him. The same strong, wounded hands stretch out to you today.
Will
you trust Him to be your Saviour?
Written by a guest blogger
