In His Hands

We can be secure in the arms of our Lord.  He has redeemed us and invited us into a relationship with Himself. We can know peace because He is our place of refuge. Deuteronomy 33 states:
26 "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, And in His excellency on the clouds.
27 The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, 'Destroy!'
28 Then Israel shall dwell in safety, The fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine; His heavens shall also drop dew.
29a Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, The shield of your help And the sword of your majesty!

In turbulence, we can look for security, for something to hold on to.  We can know that God holds on to us, that we belong to Him and we can confidently entrust our lives into His care, casting all our cares on Him.  When we consider that He holds us in His hands, that communicates a sense of stability - when we face the unknown, we can recognize that He is the source of all wisdom and will give us direction and peace when we follow Him.

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In our times of struggle, we can remember that God has not forgotten us.  He holds our lives in His
hands, and we find this passage in Isaiah 49:
13 Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people, And will have mercy on His afflicted.
14 But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me."
15 "Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you.
16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me.

The Coronavirus has helped to launch a plethora of online content, some of it creative, some rather pedestrian.  But, in a time where people are practicing "social distancing," technology is helping people to close the gap.

Tyler Perry is a mega-film producer, a professing Christian, and is tied in to a number of Christian musical artists.  So, when he gave the call to some of his musical colleagues to execute an idea he had, the result served to remind culture at large where our ultimate help comes from.

The Christian Post reports that Perry "said he wanted to start something to make everyone “feel better,” then began to sing the traditional African-American song, 'He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands' and challenged others to add to it."  He said:

"It’s my hope that we add to this simple song in every language from every nation as we let it become a prayer for our whole world! God bless you today,” Perry captioned his video.

“And remember it’s all in God’s hands!” he declared.

So, the #hesgotthewholeworldchallenge was born, and the Post says it has garnered over a million views on Instagram; hundreds of thousands have taken part.  Some of the artists included, according to the story, Karen Clark Sheard, Kierra Sheard, Yolanda Adams, Johnny Gill, Tamela Mann, Fantasia Barrino, Jennifer Hudson, Travis Greene and others.

The Gleaner reported on one particular Jamaican reggae singer named Alaine - the article said that for her, "responding to the challenge was a no-brainer...She shared with The Gleaner that she accepted the challenge because she needed it."  The story says:

“I needed to hear myself say, ‘God’s got the whole world in His hands’, and absorb it into my soul. It’s really important for us to be intentional about the words that we speak and the posts that we make. In this world climate, where we are constantly bombarded with bad news or fake news, it’s important for me to be a part of the good news.”

The singer made an announcement about life change a couple of years ago; Jamaican.com reports that:

Alaine Laughton, the singer, announced on social media that she is changing her life path after being baptized a born-again Christian on Saturday, July 21, 2018, in Kingston by Ryan Mark of Pure in Heart Ministries International Church. It is unclear whether the singer will start recording in the gospel genre or whether she will end her music industry career altogether.

Known as a hitmaker, Laughton shared her joy at being baptized with her fans via social media with the message, “Best Saturday morning everrrrrrrrr!!!!! I LOVE GOD sooooo much!!!! I got baptized this morning.. and what a JOY!!!!!! Behold I do a new thing; now it shall spring forth.. shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.(Isaiah 43:19)...

 The meaning of the song is certainly not muted.  SongFacts.com states:

First published in the hymnal Spirituals Triumphant, Old and New in 1927, this traditional gospel song broke into the mainstream when 13-year-old British singer Laurie London released an uptempo take in 1957. It went to #1 in 1958 on the newly minted Billboard Hot 100, making London the first British artist to top the tally. The single also holds the record as the only gospel tune to take the #1 spot. In addition to its pop success, it landed at #3 on the R&B chart.

The article says, "As the title implies, the song is a reminder that God is in control of all aspects of his creation and we should take comfort in his presence," adding, "God's mighty rulership is mentioned throughout the Bible, including Job 12:10, which states: "In his hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of every human being."

And, there's another video that burst on to the scene this past week: led by producer David Wise, a group of Nashville studio singers put together a video that was recorded completely on cell phones, an incredible rendition of It is Well With My Soul.  A Baptist Press article stated:

"I was just overcome with the spirit of the song 'It Is Well,'" Wise said. "The Lord laid that song on my heart. I just said, 'Wouldn't it be so cool if right now, we were able to find a way to make music in a time when we can't be together anymore?'"

He called a friend who is a music engineer and asked if the idea just might work -- or if his friend thought he was crazy.

"I'll do the dirty work," he told his friend. "I'll do the arrangement. I'll make it as easy as I possibly can. Can we do it?"

His friend liked the idea and agreed to help. Things went very quickly after that.

Wise relates, "Every person on that video is a believer in Christ and follower of Christ. They walk with the Lord. You can't make that up. That makes Nashville different, the heart of the people behind what they're singing."  The article says that the video garnered one million views during the first 24 hours of its release.

The songs, He's Got the Whole World in His Hands and It is Well With My Soul contain messages that not only do we as believers need to hear, but that the world needs to hear.  Certainly our lives are in God's hands, and He is calling people to respond to what His Son has done on the cross to bring us peace.  True peace can be experienced through a relationship with Jesus Christ.   When we are trying to hold on, we can know who holds on to us.

I think that these videos, and others that are being released, reflect the power of collaboration. Thankfully, through technology, God has provided ways for us to stay connected.  Online platforms such as Zoom and Skype now enable us not only to communicate virtually and see each other, but to see multiple people - a small group online.  Even though virtual methods are secondary to in-person, yet, God is still bringing people together.  And, bringing people together with Himself.