Big Hand

"I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand- I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, 'You are my people.'" ~GOD

Two things jumped out at me in association with this verse today. The first was the fact that the God who spoke the universe into being has put his words in my mouth. My mind skipped across scriptures, landing lightly on Ezekiel and the sweetness of the scroll and the bitterness to his stomach. Thoughts flittered to the words of Jesus, "Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God" and "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.". God has put his words in my mouth but where do they go from there? Hmm... future meditation.

The second thing I associated with this verse was the image of being covered with the shadow of his hand. I was teaching  children's church once when one of the young men seemed to be daydreaming while I read. It caught my attention because this guy rarely sat still. When I paused in the reading he blurted out, "Do you think God is really a big hand in the sky?" I paused for a minute and told him that I believe that Jesus is God and he looks like any other man. Curious, I asked him what prompted the question. He pointed to the wall behind me. The attention of the class was then drawn to a cartoon poster of a giant hand in a draping white robe with a little kid in it's palm gazing happily at the unseen giant's face. I had to laugh. Then I explained that a poster and all other artwork that they see is only an artist's perception and interpretation. The image of that giant hand popped to mind when I read the above verse in Isaiah this morning. Instead of being in the palm though; I was happily singing along in the shadow, praising God for daydreaming children and the words he put in my mouth!

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." ~GOD