Lorenzo Quinn’s 900-pound aluminum sculpture called “Hand of God” features a gigantic open hand with a man seated on the highest part of an upturned palm. The man appears to be troubled and his posture reflects deep discouragement. But the hand that holds him up is much larger than he is.
Of certain situations, we’ll say, “It’s in God’s hands,” meaning that He’ll determine the outcome. David recognized this when his son Absalom tried to take over as the king of Israel. Absalom “stole the hearts of all the people of Israel” and stirred up rebellion against his father in Hebron (2 Samuel 15:6-12).
When David learned that all of Israel had joined Absalom, he left Jerusalem. Zadok and the priests followed him, carrying the ark of the covenant (2 Samuel 15:24). Headed into the wilderness, David told Zadok to take the ark back to the city. He said, “If the Lord sees fit . . . He will bring me back to see the Ark and the Tabernacle again. But if he is through with me, then let him do what seems best to him” (2 Samuel 15:25-26).
I find it interesting that David, a famous warrior, didn’t try to fight Absalom for the throne. And although he was deeply sad, he didn’t express despair. David saw himself as being fully in God’s hands. He knew that he would determine Israel’s king—not him, and not Absalom.
During another difficult time in David’s life, someone reminded him, “Your life is safe in the care of the LORD your God, secure in his treasure pouch!” (1 Samuel 25:29). As believers in Jesus, we can rest in the same God who kept David safe. We can relax and trust Him. He knows what He’s doing, and as Jesus said, “No one can snatch [believers] from the Father’s hand” (John 10:29).
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 1 Samuel 18:1-30
More:
Read John 10:27-30 to learn about the security a believer has in Jesus. Read Psalm 32:8 to take in some comforting words for those who are in His hands.
Next:
Do you believe that you determine what happens to you, or do you believe God determines your life events? How might this affect the way you engage in spiritual disciplines?
Gary Shultz on March 29, 2016 at 6:07 am
Hi Jennifer, double duty today? One thing I love about David is he chose to center on God. Life will take us places and God oversees that. One of the best descriptions I have heard lately is – life is like a journey on a large ship, you have the freedom to move about, but you are headed for a destination. We know it’s not totally like that, but it brings man’s “free will” into God’s divine planning. Sometimes it’s just nice to have, at least for me, a simpler concept to grasp. Knowing the Captain makes all the difference how we view the journey. Thanks Jennifer
sandy229 on March 29, 2016 at 9:18 pm
Yeah I like that concept Gary!!
gagirllive on March 29, 2016 at 8:12 am
Jennifer, one of the things I love about David is his unshakable confidence in God’s unfailing love and faithfulness. I haven’t counted, but in the Psalms I have noticed how often he uses those attributes regarding God. It’s something that I confess daily to help me keep my own confidence in God. Psalm 32:8 is one of my anchor verses too. Sometimes its a challenge to believe that the path I’m on is God’s choosing, but it truly makes all the difference knowing that I’m “held”. Gary brought up a good point that I have mulled over lately. It addresses the “NEXT” question. I’ve often wondered how much of my own choices have determined my life’s journey? Like Gary said, I’m sure God’s sovereignty leaves plenty of room for my free will. It’s that age-old tension of the two that always leaves me somewhat conflicted. I suppose I will see how the two shall meet in eternity. Sigh. Thanks for this thought-provoking post today, Jennifer.
samgaskill on March 29, 2016 at 8:22 am
Thanks for sharing that! I have wondered and thought on that too. What a great God who chooses to allow our free will and in love still works it out for our good; for Kingdom purposes. This willfulness of my own; my own failure to wait or seek or trust God has allowed has caused me to ultimately surrender and grow. Amazing love that teaches, forgives, and loves while I both run to Him and run ahead of Him! Blessings dear sister!
gagirllive on March 29, 2016 at 8:26 am
Amen, Sam! Amazing love, indeed!
godlove on March 29, 2016 at 9:51 am
I, too, have always wondered where the boundary between GOD’s sovereignty and our free will lies. I don’t even know whether the analogy of the journey on a large ship quite depicts it appropriately. I’m truly puzzled…
gagirllive on March 29, 2016 at 10:10 am
Me, too…as I look back over my life… in this season, am I here because of the choices I’ve made or is this God’s sovereign plan for me? I keep going back to Psalm 32:8. “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life…” I have to believe that He has led me here.
godlove on March 29, 2016 at 11:09 am
Yes, gagirllive, I’m thinking… I guess when we decide to put our trust in GOD, He definitely does a lot more guiding us along the path that would be best for us, rather than “depend on our own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5-6) which is where our free will lead us wherever it leads us.
sandy229 on March 29, 2016 at 9:26 pm
Wherever you are today, God has led you there. Even though the choices you made were your own, you truly believe that God led you there because of His promise in Psalm 32:8. So when you chose one pathway over another, you truly believed that God was leading you there because He said He would, and that is all that really matters. I often wonder myself about the choices I’ve made and I know they were not always the best, but I do know that whenever I tried to take a short cut, God ultimately led me back to the right path because in Proverbs 3:5,6 it says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not unto thy own understanding, in all thy ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct thy paths. You are such an inspiration and a blessing to me gagirlive. Thank you so much for all of your comments.
sandy229 on March 29, 2016 at 9:27 pm
To God be the glory forever and ever!!
gagirllive on March 29, 2016 at 9:42 pm
Thank you for that encouragement, Sandy. Today my thoughts were full of regrets. It’s not that I made bad choices, but I wonder what my life would be like if I had made different choices. Sometimes it’s hard to see where I am as God’s best pathway for me. You’re so right when you said that we just have to trust that where we are is where He has sovereignly directed even if we took what we thought were wrong turns. I will close this day with that thought and be glad in Him…and trust that His will and purposes for me will always prevail. God bless you, Sandy!
samgaskill on March 29, 2016 at 8:13 am
Encouraging words for us today. Sometimes the only source of peace we can cling to is “knowing we are in our Fathers hands”. When circumstances appear too great; our God looms bigger! May we all grow like David, trusting God more and more through every trial as we ponder on His faithfulness to us, never leaving us no matter what. Help us to be still and trust in You as David did. Amen.
godlove on March 29, 2016 at 9:26 am
Thanks Jennifer. This reminds me of Jesus’ prayer at (coincidentally) the Mount of Olives in Luke 22:41, when he prays “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Regardless of circumstances in my life, I get confidence and/or solace in the knowledge that GOD is in control. And therefore I always leave everything in prayer to His own Sovereign, perfect and Divine Will, for He knows best what is best.
gagirllive on March 29, 2016 at 9:41 am
Godlove, I noticed that too…how David walked the same path that our Lord would take…the Kidron Valley into the wilderness, the Mount of Olives. Apparently this is the road to suffering where we learn to surrender ourselves into the “hand of God”. Thanks for sharing that insight!
sandy229 on March 29, 2016 at 9:17 pm
I know who holds the future and I know who holds my hand. Sometimes I let go and try to rush things along, but I ultimately pay the price for not waiting for God to do things His way. God doesn’t need our help, he just wants our love and devotion. I just thank God for teaching me His ways , and allowing me to follow His ways in whatever it is I am doing. I know also that I can’t do things I think He might want me to do, then give Him the credit when I didn’t wait for Him to do it His way in the first place. God is just so amazing and true!! I know there is nothing God can’t do……….so if I just wait it out and trust Him, I know He will see me through!!