Yes, the Sovereign Lord is coming in all his glorious power. He will rule with awesome strength…. Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers?Isaiah 40:10-12
I used to compete in gymnastics in all six men’s events. In my earliest days on the still rings I was learning a move that involves swinging as fast as possible through the bottom and continuing right up into a handstand. At first I couldn’t even get up into a shoulder stand, much less a handstand. To help me get a feel for the move, my coach stood alongside me, and as I swung through the bottom, he put his hand on my back and pushed hard. Suddenly I flew into a handstand! With my coach’s hand on me I performed a move I could never do otherwise.
The prophet Isaiah wrote, “The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me” (Isa. 8:11, NIV). In the sort of vivid word picture that Isaiah often uses he describes God’s powerful presence as being akin to having God place his hand on him. Isaiah prophesied, it was like flying into a handstand on the rings.
With God’s “hand” on him, Isaiah did things he could never do otherwise. Without the hand of God, Isaiah probably wrote wonderful poetry. With the hand of God, though, Isaiah wrote lines such as “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.”
There is a great temptation in our work for the Lord. Most leaders have some degree of what seem like natural strengths: speaking or organizational ability, physical attractiveness or a winsome personality. The danger is that we can rely on ourselves rather than on the hand of the Lord, content to go without God’s presence. The true test of our attitude is in our actions: If we minister without praying, without seeking God’s presence and help, then no matter what we say to the contrary, deep down we think we can get by without God’s hand upon us.
On the other hand, whatever our abilities, all leaders know what it’s like to be in way over our heads. We know that without God’s grace we are in big trouble. At those times we can rely on the hand of the Lord, who is always with us.
In gymnastics a coach’s helping hand is temporary; not so with God’s. God wants leaders to do everything with him because leaders can do nothing of kingdom value on their own. God wants us to do everything with his strong hand on us.
Never be content to lead others without God’s presence. Not only your own spiritual welfare but the spiritual welfare of others depends on it.
—Craig Brian Larson
Reflection
How do I know when I have fallen into relying on myself instead of on the Lord? When have I experienced God’s hand on me in leadership? What would need to change for me to be more consciously dependent on God’s presence as I lead?
Prayer
Almighty God, as you had your hand on Isaiah and David and Ruth and Abraham and Sarah, as you had your hand on Paul and Peter and Mary and Martha, so rest your hand on me.
“Peace is not the absence of trouble. Peace is the presence of God” —Unknown
Leadership DevotionsCopyright © Tyndale House Publishers.Used by permission.
