His hand is on You

Isaiah 43:1-2

Isaiah 43:7-8

Isaiah 43:1–2 NRSV

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Isaiah 43:7–8 NRSV

everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears!

We have just came out of a glorious season celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Out of this I pray that what we have celebrated in the weeks of Advent that we do not forget about why Jesus came and why we have chosen to follow him. As I was thinking over this sermon all week I had been watching a series on an app called The Chosen that tells of the life of Christ and how his followers came about and the miracles he performed and love he gave to those whom believed.

I could not help but think about the issues the children of Isreal went through and living with under the Roman Empire. The fears of taxation and not having enough to survive on week after week. And then on the scene comes Jesus placing his hands on those whom he called and those who followed him for his teaching of the coming Kingdom of God. Let’s talk today about He has his hands on you.

The Christ that has come came with a promise of restoration and protection. The prophet Isaiah has come to share the good news that God will always have his hands on you no matter the situation and troubles that life brings our way. This scripture talks about the waters, rivers and fires that can consume our lives if we let it. Yes the Lord said he created you and formed you right? In the womb of your mother God placed his hands on you for a purpose and a call to fulfill for his glory.

When you think about passing through the waters, what does that mean to you, what does it look like?

When you pass through the rivers that may cause you to slip and fall how do you recover?

The heat of the fire can get hot yet with God’s hand on you he will not allow you to be consumed by the flames except for the flames of the Holy Spirit that Isaiah speaks about that will come to be a comforter to each and everyone of us during our water and river experiences.

God says to not fear for he is with you and your offsprings near and far. When the Lord has his hand on you, it means that the spirit of the Lord God is upon you because the Lord has anointed you to proclaim the good news to the poor. He has sent you to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom from the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. In this God Is with you even when you feel he is no where to be found. The Lord will restore you when your heart is heavy, he will restore you when you let go of your fears, he will restore you when you believe that he will never leave you nor forsake you. God brought a promise to this earth to protect you from the one who comes to steal, kill and destroy you but cannot do so because God has his hand on you. Yes there are times in our lives that we do not understand why our loved ones have joined him in heaven during horrific tragedies of life. Do you remember John the Baptist who was beheaded because of what he preached and when Jesus heard of the death he was hurt and yet in the midst of captivity God had his hand on John the Baptist. I am a witness that even in the middle of turmoil of a family member or a close friend God still had his hand on them just as he has his hand on you if you only believe.

So, I want to wrap this up today with vs 7 and 8. I believe as I stated earlier in the message that God’s hands are on you from the day of conception whom he created just for him. We are the apple of his eye and the love of his life. The hymn says I once was lost but now I can see. We were all at one time before we asked Christ into our heart blind and deaf to his word. yet when he called us by our name and formed us and created us for His glory and His alone he never took his hands off of you and me. God called you out of the darkest night and he came looking for you. He opened up your eyes and your ears so that you could see that his hands are on you and gives you life and love, hope, joy and Jesus Christ who gave of himself for you. To guide you through the deep waters of life, the rocky rivers that can take you down and the heat of fire that in Christ will never consume you but will lift you up and carry you through this journey called life.

I thank the Lord that he has his hand on me and that he has his hand on you. It is now our responsibility to share this good news with those who fell at this point in their life who have no hope or will to live on. That God has called them and has his hand on them and when they come to know Christ for themselves. There may be someone listening today who thought God left you were you were in the mist of the waters and yet you remembered not to fear because you have always heard his voice and now you have decided to come back home. In all of that He never took his hand off of you and carried you right back to his arms. Christ came so that we may be his and glorify him. The bible tells us in John 3:16

John 3:16 The Message

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.

His hand is on you and waiting for you to come back to him with all your heart, mind and soul so that you may live a life of hope and joy that only God can give in the midst of heartache, loneliness and darkness. God says so not fear for I am with you I have you in my hand and will not let you go. He said come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest Come and rest in the arms of God because he has his hand on you.

The Word of God for the people of the Most High God. Amen