The Amazing Hand of God

Life is full of turmoil and trouble for even the best of men. “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble†(Job 14:1). Yet, many of those who face tremendous adversity also experience great triumph.

Joseph

Joseph was hated because of the favoritism his father showed him (Gen. 37:1-4). When he had his dreams and revealed them to his family, his brothers sank further into envy (Gen. 37:5-11). Thus, they decided to rid themselves of this “dreamer†and ended up selling him into slavery (Gen. 37:12-36).

All would seem to be lost for young Joseph. However, God was with him and he became his master’s right-hand-man (Gen. 39:1-6). Satan sought to destroy him through the adultery-minded wife of Potiphar, but Joseph’s devotion to God and integrity spared him (Gen. 39:7-13). Being falsely accused of attempted rape, he was thrown into prison. Whether this was a protective action by Potiphar or not, Joseph wanted out.

Joseph finally got out of prison through the most unusual circumstances. The king of Egypt had a dream that no one could explain to him (Gen. 41). The cupbearer told Pharaoh of the man who interpreted his dream in prison. So, Joseph was summoned to tell Pharaoh of his dream. Through God’s help he did and Pharaoh elevated him to the number two position over all the kingdom of Egypt. Amazing! From prisoner to ruler in less than 24 hours.

Samaria

King Ben-Hadad of Syria laid siege to Samaria (2 Kgs. 6:24). A great famine resulted to the point people were paying a premium for a donkey’s head and bird poop (2 Kgs. 6:25). Mother’s were even cooking and eating their own children (2 Kgs. 6:26-30). Can you imagine that?

The king intended to kill Elisha and sent men to his home. Elisha informed them and the king that the next day there would be abundant food for all (2 Kgs. 7:1, 2). They were incredulous.

Guess what happened? The next day four lepers discovered the camp of the Syrians abandoned with all their supplies still there. Food was plenteous for an entire city just one day after mothers were eating their children. Amazing!

Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth was despised by the Jewish leaders and rejected by the people in general. They finally had enough of His teaching and moved to get rid of Him. He was arrested in the garden and put on trial; a humiliating trial where He was spat on and repeatedly beaten (Matt. 26:47-68).

When He was taken to Pilot, the treatment did not get better; a crown of thorns, spitting, beating, mocking (Matt. 27:1-31). They finally put Jesus on the cross to linger for six hours in agony. His body was laid in a fresh tomb, sealed in, and guarded (Matt. 27:32-66). This was Friday.

Early Sunday morning, Jesus came out of the grave; triumphant as the Son of God (Matt. 28:1-10; Rom. 1:4). Amazing! The lowest of lows turned into the highest of highs in a few short days; from Lamb to Lord.

Us

We face difficulties, setbacks, sorrows, and devastation. Our spirits are crushed and we are tempted to give up at times. What we need to remember at times like this is that God has an amazing hand—the hand of providence. The same God that took Joseph from imprisoned slave one day to ruler of Egypt the next is the same God we serve today. The God that provided abundant food for a city in starvation in short order is the God who cares for us now. The God who raised His Son from the grave to reign as King of kings is the God who will raise us from the dead in the last day.

The hand of God has the power to deliver no matter how desperate and gloomy things may look. Let us put our faith in Him, not ourselves.