Blessings,
In our last letter about God’s Times, we touched on the profound truth that our totally trustworthy Heavenly Father cares, plans and provides for His children. King David expressed it in the 31st Psalm which also includes a litany of his woes and griefs. Then, in verse 14, he makes the declaration: “BUT I trusted in YOU, O Lord; I said, YOU are my GOD. MY TIMES ARE IN YOUR HAND…” And he ends the song with this admonition:- “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you that HOPE in the LORD. “
Since He knows the end from the beginning, and every intricacy of our beings, He knows just when to time every event of our lives. Truly, ALL our times are in His hand – and what better place to be in the entire universe than in the mighty hand of our Almighty God! He not only loves every one of His precious children, but He has a special plan for each one.
I understand that, if you quote this verse to the native of Congo, he will be forced to translate it in the wonderful words, “All my life’s whys, whens, wheres, and wherefores are in God’s Hand!” And to be assured that our times are in His hand is to say that our own life’s whys, whens, wheres, and wherefores are right there – in His hand!
God’s viewpoint is so far removed from our own. He exists outside the entity of Time; He is eternal – timeless – ageless. He lives in the “eternal NOW.” He sees and knows all things, and He is “the same, yesterday, today and forever.” The illustration has often been used of someone watching a passing parade through a knot-hole in the fence. One can see only what is passing in front of the knot-hole at a given moment. But if the sights can be raised to gaze over the top of the fence, one can see the whole parade from beginning to end. (Heb. 13:8)
We are able to see things only through the ‘knothole’ of human perspective; God sees the beginning and the ending – and everything in between. He declares, “I am God, and there is none else; I am God and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done…” (Isa. 46:9,10)
“There is a time to every purpose under the heaven” declares the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes. Our Heavenly Father has set each one of us in our place in the course of time; He has ordained our time to be born, and our time to die, as well as our ‘times’ spanning the in-between. Because God is pure Love and Wisdom, we can place our full trust in Him to guide us through life to His ultimate goal for us. (Eccles.3)
May we then sing with quiet confidence this beautiful old hymn. (If you read it aloud, slowly, you will ‘hear’ each important word.):
My times are in Thy hand; my God, I wish them there;
My life, my friends, my soul I leave entirely to Thy care.
My times are in Thy hand; whatever they may be,
Pleasing or painful, dark or bright, as best may seem to Thee.
My times are in Thy hand; why should I doubt or fear?
My Father’s hand will never cause His child a needless tear.
My times are In Thy hand; Jesus, the crucified!
Those hands my cruel sins had pierced are now my guard and guide.
My times are in Thy hand; I’ll always trust in Thee;
And after death, at Thy right hand I shall forever be.
(William F. Lloyd, 1824)
* * * * *
His tender hands have fashioned tiny things;
The wee blue petals of forget-me-nots;
A drop of mist; an insect’s tissue wings;
A poppy seed; a caterpillar’s spots;
The sensitive antennae of a bee;
Each amber globule of the desert sands . . .
Then shall I fear when He has said to me,
“YOUR DAYS, My Precious One, are IN MY HANDS?”
(Vivian Ahrendt)
Always remember:- each of your days is in God’s hand – and there is no better place!
“Now the God of all HOPE fill you with all JOY and PEACE in the believing,
that you may abound in HOPE through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13)
In Agape, Eulene
Thanks so much for visiting my blog! I enjoyed your thoughts here. It’s good to know our times are in His hand.