IN GOD'S HANDS
En Las Manos Del Señor
By
Mary Hunt Webb
Posted Tuesday, February 28, 2017
We use our hands to perform many tasks each day. [Photographer: Jack Moreh. Photo courtesy of Stockvault.net.]
What do we do with our hands? We use them to eat, of course. We hold our children, grandchildren, and other little ones in our hands. We use our hands to work. We use them to count. We get dressed with them. We fix things with them. We rescue others from danger. We hold books in our hands while reading. We create with them. We also make lifetime commitments with our hands.
We make lifetime commitments with our hands as well as our hearts. [Photographer: James. Photo courtesy of Stockvault.net.]
Now think back to the biblical account of the man whose right hand was withered. Luke 6:6 tells us, "Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He [Jesus] entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered." (New King James Version) This was a man that had difficulty getting dressed and performing simple tasks. He could not pick up his children because he didn't have the strength necessary to hold them securely.
The Pharisees, however, wanted to trap Jesus. Luke 6:7-10 describes the situation this way: "7) So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. 8) But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, 'Arise and stand here.' And he arose and stood. 9) Then Jesus said to them, 'I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?' 10) And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other." (NKJV)
An interesting aspect of the healing of the withered hand is that Jesus did not use His own hands to heal the man's withered hand. Although Jesus used His hands to heal people on other occasions, He did not use them in this instance. Instead, He used His words to perform the healing.
Regardless of how He did it, He restored the man's hand to complete usefulness.
I appreciate this passage because, years ago, I was diagnosed with arthritis. With this understanding, I have taken special effort to perform activities each day that exercise my hands. I learned American Sign Language for communicating with people that are deaf, and I practice the piano. I don't play that instrument well enough to play in public or to accompany anyone, but I practice every day for the sake of exercising my hands. When I miss a day of practicing, I feel stiffness returning to my hands.
Now, you may have noticed that I did not mention folding the hands in prayer. That's because I pray throughout each day, even while I am actively engaged in other activities. I pray while I work, while I clean house, while I walk, while I cook, and while I perform other tasks.
I find that I often pray while I am driving the car because I need God's protection in traffic. Since I am using my hands to drive, I must keep my hands on the steering wheel as well as my eyes on the road. That is not a good time to close my eyes!
Personally, I think God likes it when we remember to pray throughout the day while we are engaged in other tasks. I think it makes Him feel involved in our lives and close to us, just as though He was holding us in His hands, because, in a way, He is.
Like a child nestling in her father's arms, prayer brings us close to God. [Photographer: Jack Moreh. Photo courtesy of Stockvault.net.]
BIBLE VERSES FOR THIS POSTING
Luke 6:6-10 — 6) Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7) So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. 8) But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here." And he arose and stood. 9) Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?" 10) And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.
Lucas 6:6-10 — 6) Aconteció también en otro día de reposo, que él entró en la sinagoga y enseñaba; y estaba allí un hombre que tenía seca la mano derecha. 7) Y le acechaban los escribas y los fariseos, para ver si en el día de reposo lo sanaría, a fin de hallar de qué acusarle. 8) Mas él conocía los pensamientos de ellos; y dijo al hombre que tenía la mano seca: Levántate, y ponte en medio. Y él, levantándose, se puso en pie. 9) Entonces Jesús les dijo: Os preguntaré una cosa: ¿Es lícito en día de reposo hacer bien, o hacer mal? ¿salvar la vida, o quitarla? 10) Y mirándolos a todos alrededor, dijo al hombre: Extiende tu mano. Y él lo hizo así, y su mano fue restaurada. (Reina-Valera 1960).
Worn hands tell of a lifetime of service to God, family, and friends. [Photographer: Unsplash. Photo courtesy of Stockvault.net.]
