In His Hands

When we consider that we are held by God, and He will manifest His power to and through us, we can sense that we are truly overcomers in Him; or as, Romans 8 says, we are more than conquerors.
In Isaiah 41, we can read:
10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

Later in the chapter, we find these words from God:
13 For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'
14 "Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you," says the Lord And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Because we belong to God and we are in Him, we can know that He is with us and that His strength is available. We can build our faith through His Word, and that faith is a powerful force to overcome fear.  We are capable in Him to actually follow that Scriptural directive to "fear not."  His resources: faith, power, love, soundmindedness, are available to the child of God.  We can walk with confidence as we face life in God's strength and not our own.

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The concept of being in God's hands can be very powerful when we face uncertainty and adversity.
Isaiah 29 states:
14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work Among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden."
15 Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, And their works are in the dark; They say, "Who sees us?" and, "Who knows us?"
16 Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, "He did not make me"? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?

I've heard it said that the Coronavirus pandemic has taught us that the Church doesn't need a building.  That is very true.  But we need each other.  And, God, through technology, has made a way for believers to connect in worship services, Sunday School classes, Bible study groups, and prayer gatherings.

This past Sunday, my wife and I gathered for Sunday School, and one of the class leaders shared a short video by a guy named John Maynard.  Apparently this little video has become quite popular.  The title of the video, Depends on whose hands its in!

The point is that in the hands of the Lord, seemingly simple things have great value and that we can trust Him with our lives.

I did a bit of research on this poem, and it seems it has been attributed to an Indian missionary named Paul Ciniraj.  Maynard says in the video that his dad had sent it to him, and apparently it was adapted a bit.  The poem opens like this:

A basketball in my hands is worth about $19.
A basketball in Michael Jordan’s hands is worth about $33 million.
It depends on whose hands it’s in…

He also says:

A golf club is useless in my hands.
A golf club in Tiger Wood’s hands is a 4 Major Golf Championships
It depends on whose hands it’s in…

Then, he uses some Biblical examples:

A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal.
A rod in Moses’ hands will part the mighty sea.
It depends on whose hands it’s in…

A sling shot in my hands is a toy.
A slingshot in David’s hands is a mighty weapon.
It depends on whose hands it’s in…

Two fish and five loaves in my hands is a couple of fish sandwiches.
Two fish and five loaves in Jesus’ hands will feed thousands.
It depends on whose hands they’re in…

Then, the dramatic close:

Nails in my hands might produce a bird house.
Nails in Christ Jesus’ hands will produce salvation for the entire world.
It depends on whose hands they’re in…

As you see now it depends on whose hands it’s in.
So put your concerns, worries, fears, hopes, dreams, families
and relationships in God’s Hands.
Because, It depends on whose hands they’re in.

Paul Ciniraj recognized that His life was in God's hands.  I came across an article at the God Reports website, which was written by his wife, Mercy.  She writes: "...he has recovered from terrible persecution, which including three beatings to the head and being left for dead, and then developing leukemia four years ago."  This was written in 2013.

But, Ciniraj no longer has leukemia.  His wife wrote:

Praise God for his unspeakable mercy. Our Lord Jesus graciously touched him by HIS nailed hands. It happened one night, when our Lord Jesus Christ appeared before him in a dream and touched him from the top of his head to tips of his toes by His nailed hands and said, “Be healed” and then at the very moment, my husband experienced the supernatural power of healing.

This miracle occurred during a time when one of the most famous oncologists in India — a Hindu — had been giving him treatment. He is very busy doctor who was taking care of many cancer patients, yet, when he found that my husband was healed completely, he sat with him for about an hour and asked Paul to share his testimony.

Paul shared his testimony with the doctor, of having become a Christian out of Islam, enduring persecution, and experiencing God's protection. Mercy wrote: "Hearing the testimony, the doctor accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal savior and then asked Paul, to pray for him. Also the doctor requested him to visit his patients often to share the Word of God and pray for them."

By the way, Paul Ciniraj apparently published the poem about being held in God's hands in 2010, after he had contracted leukemia.

I believe that the obvious takeaway here is the concept of being held in God's hands.  In and of ourselves, we cannot even come to know God, for our human sinfulness separates us from Him; but as we come to Jesus and place ourselves in His hands, we can see powerful things occur in our lives.
Certainly, we remember that there is value in being a child of God.  If we have surrendered to Him, we can be confident He will express His life through us.

The Paul Ciniraj story can help us recall God's miraculous power.  We recognize that He is able to do far more than we could imagine, and He wants us to come to Him, commit to His care, and cast our cares on Him.  When we do that, we become participants in God's amazing Kingdom work.  In His hands, we become vessels whom He will use to produce amazing fruit!