We have an Upper Hand

Please forgive my incessant referral to song lyrics. Here we go again! It comes from this musical family I’ve been a part of all my life. It started with my mama who sang her way through joys and sorrows, and all the in between times. Then marrying a man with musical abilities that oozed from his pores. He imparted that talent into his sister, a friend and me and we became The Masters Four Quartet. All that background just to share this old song by Anne Murray that we sang in our concerts: “Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water; Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea. Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently, By putting your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.” Those upper hands. Those mighty hands. Those healing hands. Those hands are extended to us 24/7, so, yes, we have an upper hand. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:6 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God….” This was spoken by the new and improved Peter, post the Resurrection and Pentecost. Peter was a changed man after Calvary. Peter, the one, who had the guts to get out of the boat and walk on water to Jesus. He failed his attempt because of the rolling storm-tossed sea, but, good thing he was close to Jesus, because with His hands, He pulled Peter up out of waves to safety. Peter knew those hands. He had seen those hands multiply a few loaves and fish to feed over 5,000 in the crowd. He had seen those hands heal the sick and raise the dead. He had seen those hands put back the ear of a soldier that he himself had cut off in his haste to protect the Master. When Peter wrote: “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God…”, he was speaking from having been humbled by those mighty hands. Now Peter is a Christian man who has grown in experience and faith and if anyone can tell us about the hand of God, who better than a man who walked with Jesus in the flesh? Today, maybe it’s you that is going down for the last time in the storms that surround you. The same hands that calmed the stormy seas, are the hands that will make a way where there seems to be no way in your life today. The hand of God represents the plan and provision of God. Peter wrote this passage, and he knew when we’re in a place of lack, we don’t have to be dependent on our own abilities to provide for ourselves. Anything we put in the hands of God will multiply. Case in point: the nets full of fish after Peter and his buddies had fished all night and caught nothing. I know the hands of God. I know He is the God of more than enough. He is the God who comforts and heals and restores. God knows when we are about to sink. Remember, above I said that Peter was close enough for Jesus to reach. That should be our posture – the posture of intimacy with our Lord. He should not be a mere acquaintance to us. He should be our next breath and our next thought – especially during times of disappointment, loss, fear, anxiety and unrest. And even when the enemy lies and makes us think we’re too far away from Jesus, we are never too far. In fact, we ARE in His grip. God’s got us. He might let us suffer a little while, but He won’t let us stay there. “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.” It doesn’t matter about our ability and where we’re at – it’s about surrendering and putting our hands in the mighty hands of God. It’s surrendering, humbling ourselves. As Peter cried out, we cry out: “Lord, save me”! And God replies: “Take my upper hand!”