Women's Focus Ministries: Sunday Writing... "SCARRED HANDS"... 4/8/18

Good morning!

Today's writing, "SCARRED HANDS." is about hands and what they tell us about a person. Read on to find out about a very special pair of scarred hands.

Blessings,
Jan and Corinne

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Today's Devotional:

"SCARRED HANDS"

Jan Andersen

A person's hands can tell you some things about them. Some hands are quite large and strong, while others are very small and delicate. Whether they are soft and supple or scarred and calloused can reveal how much work they do with their hands. The skin of some hands may be chapped, which can indicate either that they wash their hands a lot or have their hands in water throughout the day, or they have been outside in windy or cold weather without gloves.

Hands can also help guide what a person does in life. If they have large, strong hands they are more likely to be able to take a job in some type of heavy labor like construction than someone with a very weak grip. If they have exceptionally long fingers, they could play certain instruments with more ease than those with short fingers. If they have very good fine motor control and coordination they might be able to be a surgeon more easily than someone with clumsy hands. While there is much more that goes into what a person does, their hands do play a role.

Some people believe that you can read the palms of people's hands and tell what their future holds. As a child I remember some friends saying that one of the creases on the palms of your hands was the life line, and if it was long you would have a long life, and whether it crossed the other lines or not, etc. had different meanings. But we know that our future is literally in God's hands, not ours:

John 10:28 (ESV) I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

And what about God's hands? We know that Jesus, our Lord and Savior, has some special scars on his hands. Those marks helped identify him to those who saw him after he was raised from the dead and while he walked this earth before ascending into heaven. His scarred hands helped convince Thomas, and in turn us, that Jesus was and is alive!

John 20:19-20, 26-27 (ESV) On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord... Eight days later his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”

Those marks on the hands of Jesus were evidence of his death on the cross to pay the debt that we owed for our sins. It is as if we ourselves pounded in those nails. His death is on our heads, but our name is on his hands:

Isaiah 49:16 (ESV) Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…

What a glorious Savior we have who lived a sinless life, who died on the cross to save us from the punishment we wholly deserved, and who rose again to give us eternal life with him in heaven. God’s Word says "as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12 ESV) - from one nailed hand to the other! No matter how bad things have been in our lives, we can lay all our past and current burdens at his feet and leave our entire future in his hands... his scarred hands!

Dear Lord Jesus, we thank you for sacrificing your life on the cross in our place as payment for our sins. Your scarred hands helped Thomas and us believe in your resurrection. May we continue to believe and remain faithful by the power of your Holy Spirit. Hold our lives in your scarred hands, keeping us safe from the enemy and helping us through any trials and difficulties we may experience. Help us to reach out our hands as well to others as a witness to them of your love, and to share with them about your free gift of forgiveness and eternal life. In your name we pray, Amen.

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Song:

East to West

by Casting Crowns