Introduction
Why the hand? it's a good question. When the first article emerged, it wasn't an intentional thing to create a series or a theme. At least I had not intentionally set out that way.
Digging deeper however, I remember in the congregation or denomination I grew up in as a new Christin, I heard a prayer that would stick with me for many years, even till now – it is something along the lines of ‘God, I seek your face and not your hand’.
This prayer was positioned as superior. I’m by no means saying that it is or that it isn’t, rather my understanding and interpretation of it suggests that seeking God's face is a better place to be or a better thing to be seeking after than to seek his hand, which is to only want what he can give. Because of that, I had not really focused on the hand of God.
Recently, I’ve been reflecting on the hand that holds me, me personally, in my day to day, in my walk of faith, in my journey of life. This led me to thinking about the Hand of God.
I have walked through difficult seasons without the benefit of a mother's gentle touch or a father's hug. For a long time.
I simply started to see God not just as my heavenly father that is high, lofty, powerful awe-inspiring, but also a God that is dearly close to me, he closes the proximity, comes close to me and hugs me – pours out so much love that I feel hugged and ultimately held.
That’s how the hand series emerged.
As a child of God, I need to see all of God and explore all that he has to offer, not that I have come anywhere close. However, the excitement, the joy of getting a clearer glimpse of an aspect that I hadn’t seen before:
What does a God who fathers the fatherless look like up close?
What does that look like in my reality, my day to day, my work, my mindset and in how I interpret the world.
I hope that it does bless someone as it is blessing me, I hope that the series encourages someone. I also hope that it challenges someone to look at God from a lens they hadn't looked at God before.
