October 3rd, 2022
Written by Geo Bowman
Last Thursday, I had a doctor’s appointment. It was just our regular four week appointment to make sure the baby is growing and doing well. However, besides the regular check up, it was about time for me to have the glucose test. While I was waiting for the tech to draw blood, she asked me to sit on a chair that had a slogan that said: “You Are in Caring Hands.”
For most patients, that is just a slogan they might even ignore or not notice, but for me, it was much more than that. I felt as though God was whispering this sweet truth to my ear. It felt personal and almost like an aha moment! See, if I’m completely honest, change and transitions have always been difficult for me. Although, you might think I should probably be used to it by now since my life has been full of changes and transitions ever since 2018—the year I got married and moved to the US.
I still don’t know what it is about change that makes me so afraid. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I don’t like uncertainty, but deep down, I know it mostly has to do with control. Am I the only one who loves to know what will happen next? Am I the only one who likes to feel like I have everything “under control”? Anyone else with me? If you resonate with what I’m sharing, I would love to offer some comfort and encouragement today.
Let’s begin by stating the facts: we are not in charge and we’ll never be. Our sense of control is nothing but that—a sense, a feeling, an illusion. So, if we aren’t in control, who’s really in control? I’m glad you ask, even though I’m sure you know what I’m going to say: God is in control, and that, my friend, is great news. It’s great news because the God of the Bible is not only good but very good. He’s not only in control, but he cares for those whom He watches over.
In fact, Isaiah 40:11 paints a beautiful picture of the God of Israel, the one who loves his people enough to carry them. It says, “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” If after reading this verse, you still feel like the picture of God, the one who loves his flock, isn’t clear or beautiful enough, I want to invite you to read Psalm 23 aloud.
There’s something so reassuring and incredibly comforting about the fact that it is God’s very hands that are the ones that tend, carry, and lead us. If this truth is so reassuring and comforting, why do we still like to close our fists as a way to pretend we are in control? If we think our hands can hold many things, think about this: how much more can God’s hands hold? We think we can carry many things, but how much more can the God of the universe carry? Psalm 94:4-5 says, “In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” Not only are His hands strong enough to carry us, but He is good enough to care for us as He carries us.
Up until this point, you might be thinking, “Okay, that’s great! I get it, the Lord really is in control and His carrying hands can handle us, but how do we let go of this desire to control and the anxiety that causes us to want to have everything under control?” I’m glad you are thinking about it, I have been thinking about the exact same thing, and believe the answer is found in 1 Peter 5:6-7. The Word says; “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” When we humble ourselves under His hand, we are making a greater confession. By yielding to Him, not only are we acknowledging that we are not in control, but we are also choosing to trust Him. When we come before Him to cast our anxieties, we are declaring that we trust God, our shepherd and good father, to carry us.
What Peter commands us to do is something I’ve found myself repeatedly doing, especially in the past few months. Whenever I feel overwhelmed by the weight of a world that is not mine to carry, I humble myself before my Father in heaven and cast my anxieties on Him because I know I am in caring hands.
Last Thursday, I had a doctor’s appointment. It was just our regular four week appointment to make sure the baby is growing and doing well. However, besides the regular check up, it was about time for me to have the glucose test. While I was waiting for the tech to draw blood, she asked me to sit on a chair that had a slogan that said: “You Are in Caring Hands.”
For most patients, that is just a slogan they might even ignore or not notice, but for me, it was much more than that. I felt as though God was whispering this sweet truth to my ear. It felt personal and almost like an aha moment! See, if I’m completely honest, change and transitions have always been difficult for me. Although, you might think I should probably be used to it by now since my life has been full of changes and transitions ever since 2018—the year I got married and moved to the US.
I still don’t know what it is about change that makes me so afraid. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I don’t like uncertainty, but deep down, I know it mostly has to do with control. Am I the only one who loves to know what will happen next? Am I the only one who likes to feel like I have everything “under control”? Anyone else with me? If you resonate with what I’m sharing, I would love to offer some comfort and encouragement today.
Let’s begin by stating the facts: we are not in charge and we’ll never be. Our sense of control is nothing but that—a sense, a feeling, an illusion. So, if we aren’t in control, who’s really in control? I’m glad you ask, even though I’m sure you know what I’m going to say: God is in control, and that, my friend, is great news. It’s great news because the God of the Bible is not only good but very good. He’s not only in control, but he cares for those whom He watches over.
In fact, Isaiah 40:11 paints a beautiful picture of the God of Israel, the one who loves his people enough to carry them. It says, “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” If after reading this verse, you still feel like the picture of God, the one who loves his flock, isn’t clear or beautiful enough, I want to invite you to read Psalm 23 aloud.
There’s something so reassuring and incredibly comforting about the fact that it is God’s very hands that are the ones that tend, carry, and lead us. If this truth is so reassuring and comforting, why do we still like to close our fists as a way to pretend we are in control? If we think our hands can hold many things, think about this: how much more can God’s hands hold? We think we can carry many things, but how much more can the God of the universe carry? Psalm 94:4-5 says, “In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.” Not only are His hands strong enough to carry us, but He is good enough to care for us as He carries us.
Up until this point, you might be thinking, “Okay, that’s great! I get it, the Lord really is in control and His carrying hands can handle us, but how do we let go of this desire to control and the anxiety that causes us to want to have everything under control?” I’m glad you are thinking about it, I have been thinking about the exact same thing, and believe the answer is found in 1 Peter 5:6-7. The Word says; “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” When we humble ourselves under His hand, we are making a greater confession. By yielding to Him, not only are we acknowledging that we are not in control, but we are also choosing to trust Him. When we come before Him to cast our anxieties, we are declaring that we trust God, our shepherd and good father, to carry us.
What Peter commands us to do is something I’ve found myself repeatedly doing, especially in the past few months. Whenever I feel overwhelmed by the weight of a world that is not mine to carry, I humble myself before my Father in heaven and cast my anxieties on Him because I know I am in caring hands.
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I have this verse on my wall at work: John 10-28-29