The Hard Times That Hurt You (Part 5)

The Hands Tell it All

You probably have a picture of yourself that you do not like, either on your driver's license, an ID card, or a passport. There is probably a picture of you that you do like. That picture is the one that shows your good side, your hair is just right, there is good lighting, and you're smiling. There was a lady who really appreciated the ministry of a certain speaker. She asked, "Would you mind if I give you a picture of myself?" He said that would be fine. She signed it and put it in a note, and he didn't look at it until he got to lunch. It was an unusual personal photo; it was a picture of her hands.

Isaiah 49:15-16 from God's Word says, "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands." That lady gave away a picture of worn, wrinkled hands. You could see that those hands had obviously worked hard for a long time. That is how she wanted to portray her life.

God seems to be saying here, "If you want to know how I feel about you, look at this picture of me. Look at my hands." Do you know what the message is in His hands? "I will never forget you." In a stable, in a little town called Bethlehem, all the power of the Creator was packed into a little Jewish baby. His hands could not even grab His mother's nose. These are hands that created the world but became helpless when He became a human being.
See those hands touching people with healing at their point of need. Then see those hands nailed viciously to a cross. A few days later, those hands are extended to Thomas to prove that He is alive. Jesus is alive and glorified, but the nail scars are still there. Our engraving is on the palms of His hands.

Maybe you're in a time when other hands have left you or let you down. Maybe the hand you once held isn't there anymore. The hands that paid you or met your material needs may be closed to you now. The hands that once applauded you may be silent. Even the hands that would like to help you now cannot reach far enough to touch where you're really hurting.

Today, the Almighty God has His hands open, and He cannot forget you. Nail prints are there because of how much He loves you. No matter how alone you feel right now, He is offering all the grace, all the love, all the understanding, and all the power you need. God has you deep in His heart, and He is touching you even now. He wants you to know that. You are always on His mind, and you are safely in His nail-pierced hands. These are the words of a beautiful hymn classic: "I shall know Him when redeemed by His side I shall stand. I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side by the print of the nail in His hands."