Daily Devotions
“For men will hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm.” 1 Kings 8:42
We admire strong hands gripping a railroad tie, sculpting with hammer and chisel, lifting a child from danger, or defending helpless people from an attacker. Strong hands symbolize the hardy pioneer spirit that has made our country great. Despite the scientific sophistication of our age, we still sense the need for strong hands.
The Bible values strength for families and nations but names God as the Source of all strength. Solomon in his dedicatory prayer for the new temple in Jerusalem speaks of God’s strong hands when he asks the Lord to answer the prayers of foreigners as well as those of the people of Israel. Both groups are to rely on God’s strong help. God’s mighty hand brought Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and the wilderness, to the Promised Land. God’s mighty hand brought victory after victory to Israel and made possible the completion of the temple. On her own, Israel stumbled and fell. By God’s strength Israel could climb walls and storm fortresses.
You may feel weak and helpless, unable to continue making ends meet or holding your family together. You may have tried to succeed by your own strong hands, only to experience reverses and discouragements. Solomon points you to the mighty hand of God. He was willing to let His strong hands become tiny, helpless infant hands in the manger. Those strong carpenter hands later would be bound by captors and then stretched out on a cross. But the hands of the Savior, raised from the dead, are raised in blessing for you and the world. Strong hands to make you strong as you live for Him!
PRAYER: Lord, in my weakness I seek the blessing of Your strong hands to forgive and sustain me. Amen.
(Devotions from “My Daily Devotion” by Dr. Stephen J. Carter, copyright 1988 CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. For ordering information, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit www.cph.org.)