01232021 God's Hand

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our sovereign God. He is in control of all things, even when it seems there is only chaos and turmoil. For anything that happens in life, we can rest assured that God is ruling over it.

Lesson #22. Ultimately, whatever happens to us is from God's hand. Job had no doubt whatsoever about this truth. He stated it clearly and repeatedly. "Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me" (19:21).

Job's statements attributing his trials to God's hand are far too many to include in their totality. Some of Job's more powerful statements reveal the intensity of his God-orchestrated trouble. "God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked. I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark. His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground. He breaketh me with breach upon breach, he runneth upon me like a giant" (16:11-14). "But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him. Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him. For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me" (23:13-16). If God does choose hard things, we often want them to be only mildly difficult, but the truth is that God might choose things that are intense beyond our imaginations.

Job asserted that it is universal knowledge that God is the one in control. "But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind" (12:7-10). Every man's life is ultimately in God's hand and under His control.

Even beyond a personal level, God orchestrates all that happens. Job knew this was true regarding the affairs of men. "With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding. Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening" (12:13-14). In the next eleven verses, Job gives example after example of things that God does in the physical world, in the political world, in the religious world, and in the social world. Many of the examples have to do with people being undone, losing their strength and influence, losing their stability and prestige. God is the one who empowers or restrains. God is the one who builds up or tears down. When God determines to do something, no person or power on earth can stop Him.

God's plans cannot be stopped. "I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee" (42:2). What is important is that God's methods, which are unstoppable, are only part of the picture. God's purposes are also unstoppable. While the methods for achieving His purposes might seem extreme, God knows what must be done to bring about His purposes, which is the greater level of control. In the end, God accomplishes goals that man did not even know He was working toward.

There are situations in the Bible, like the story of Job, that are attributed to both God and Satan. Satan is powerful and does have some control over this world, but he does not have even close to the power of God. Within His plan and oversight, God might allow Satan to do some things for a time, but when the time or the extent is reached, God's power intervenes and stops Satan in his tracks. In our limited human insight, it can be difficult to discern the balance between God's and Satan's contributions, but we always know Who has the final say and the ultimate control.

We also know that even when both God and Satan are involved in a situation, they have very different purposes. Satan knows what he thinks he will accomplish. He can effectively use some of his methods in that pursuit. He can even see himself right on the edge of victory in achieving it, only to be humiliated and have his objectives reversed. Satan wants to destroy, but God can work within the same circumstances to accomplish great wonders. The crucifixion of Jesus is a prime example. God did the same in the life of Job. While Satan wanted to destroy Job and to prove the fragility of man's relationship with God, God defeated those purposes. Instead, God displayed just the opposite in the end.

God was entirely in control in Job's trial, and God accomplished His objectives through it. Satan was defeated, Job was blessed, Job's relationship with God was strengthened, and God's truth was revealed in the immediate situation and for all time. That, my friends, undeniably reflects divine oversight.

May God carry each of you through this week, accomplishing all that He desires in spite of the seeming obstacles. May His great purposes be advanced.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA