I'm continuing with my thinking about our security in Christ, and with the idea of being safe in God's hand. He holds me in His hand and also UPholds me with His hand..
I love the truth that God upholds me with His hand! It is just another facet of the finished work of Christ that lets me know I'm secure in Him forever. By the cross, Christ has done away with my sins and even my old sinful nature/self. He has eradicated the former ruler of my life, that terrible slave master of sin, evil, and the enemy. Through the resurrection He has brought me to life with Him, a whole new creation, part of the eternal realm, made with Jesus' eternal life-DNA; my spirit is now alive and united with His Spirit! He sent the Spirit to baptize/fill us with the fullness of Himself! We are now alive as we were meant to be, glowing with His very Spirit, radiating His life, full of His glory, lavished with His grace, loved and cherished and held! Christ is in us, Christ is our very life. And also, we are IN Him just as He is IN us. Our life is hidden with Christ in God now, safe in His Hand. By the finished work, Christ has raised us up to a whole new life that is located in God's hand. We are placed in His hand forever. That's our address now!
Being in God's hand is such a safe place to be. That hand is always underneath us. that hand is always holding on to us and holding us up. So we can't fatally fall, can't fall out of that grip!
I think of Ps 37:23-24 - "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholds him with His hand." He won't let us fall away. The will uphold us with His righteous right hand. He says it so beautifully in Is 41:10 - "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." And another favorite I am reminded of: "Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory...My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Ps. 73:23, 24, 26) I love that verse, because it just reminds me that there is something behind and underneath and around me holding me up - God Himself. He is greater. He is greater than all my fears and doubts and sins and failings. My flesh and my heart may fail, but HE won't fail. He won't let me down. He will keep me safe in His hand, hold me up, carry me all the way through. Underneath this broken and sometimes banged up life are the everlasting arms. And He won't fail to uphold me and bring me safely to glory!
God is our keeper (Ps. 121). We don't have to worry about keeping ourselves. He will keep us. He will move us along and get us to where He wants us to be. His Spirit is inside us, willing and working, making sure we get to our destination. God is the one who establishes us or makes us firm and secure in Christ (2 Co. 1:22). He will be faithful to keep what we've committed to Him - our very lives - until the day of Christ. We don't have to worry about keeping ourselves. He Himself will keep us firm in the faith: "He will keep you firm to the end" (1 Co. 1:8) - or, as the Phillips translation says, "He will keep you steadfast in the faith to the end, so that when His day comes you need fear no condemnation. God is utterly dependable, and it is He who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord."
It is such a relief to me that I don't have to worry about holding on to Him or losing my grip and slipping away; He is holding on to me, and He won't lose His grip! He won't let me fall! I'm safe in His hand, and no one - not even myself - can pluck me out of His hand! Wow - in John 10 Jesus says no one can snatch the sheep out of His Father's hand. No one! No one is all inclusive and means nobody at all - including Satan, other people, and even myself! Safe in His arms forever! The Good Shepherd Himself is the very Guardian and Keeper of my soul, so that means I'm surely secure forever! (1 Pet. 2:25)
Whatever God does, He does all the way and forever. He will finish the work He started and be faithful to complete it in us (Phil. 1:6) He has promised that He won't cast us out or lose us or drop us! He will carry us safely and uphold us safely in His hand all the way to the last day when He returns, for that's the Father's will: "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. For My Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day." (Jn. 6:39-40) Christ finished the work the Father gave Him to do and we looked to the Son and believed. So that's that. We are already in His hand, safe and secure. That's where we'll be now and forever.
He will preserve us, body, soul, and spirit, blameless till the coming of the Lord. He is faithful and He will do it! (1 Th. 5:23-4)
Thank You, Lord, for upholding us with Your strong Hand! Thank You for being our keeper, the very guardian of our souls! You watch over us, protect and guard our souls, and keep us safe in Your heavenly kingdom. It is so good to know those Almighty arms are underneath us, holding us tightly and protectively, keeping us firmly with You forever. It is so good to rest in Your arms today..
