Hand in Hand
Psalm 87:6
The Lord records as He registers the people; This one was born there
John 10:27-29
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
Acts 11:19-21
Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
Wowza! When Holy Spirit stirs, Holy Spirit stirs! He has taken me from Game of Thrones to Chris Stefanik this morning! Let me start with Chris Stefanik and his series, The Search. In one episode Chris shares with us a profound powerful truth that is reflected in the single verse from Psalm 87. We are born for greatness, Kingdom greatness. There are many that will voice a desire to have been born in Jesus’ time and space to witness first hand His works. Wouldn’t this faith and believe thing be so much easier! Chris interjects with wisdom and truth. If God had wanted us to be born in biblical times, we would have been born in biblical times. We are not accidental or coincidental, we are providential. God has planted each of us, uniquely made in His image, exactly here for a Kingdom purpose. Imagine the God of all Creation looking down upon our birth and whispering with love, ‘There, Sara has been born this day right there, right where her journey needs to begin.’ I believe that from that day forward the Chess Master of the Universe placed people in my path for me to grow from and for me to help grow, every single day I can choose to be a unique part in His Kingdom Plan. This is profound. This is powerful. This is daunting! Right? Enter Game of Thrones. Please do not judge, my family binged Game of Thrones during the pandemic, and I will be the first to admit that it is not exactly wholesome (understatement!). God can bring good out of all. For those of you who are not familiar, a key role in the kingdom of Kings Landing is The Hand of the King. This is a coveted role of power, trust, influence, and prestige. The Hand of the King is “hand picked” (punny!) by the king himself. It is the one person most trusted by the king to have the interests of the king and kingdom at heart. Our Heavenly Father entrusts us with a share in His Kingdom here on earth but He does not leave us to it alone, He gives us the Hand of the King, Jesus. This is Jesus’ assurance in John’s Gospel that we see fulfilled in Acts. This is our assurance as baptized Christians. God rejoiced on the day we were born, ‘Today my son/daughter was born exactly where I want them to be, to be a part of My kingdom.’ The Master of Chess awaits our move. He awaits our realization that we are an important piece in His big picture of salvation. On the day that this realization dawns on us He will say, ‘On this day, my beloved son/daughter, is exactly where I need them to be.’ We have a unique purpose. We are not alone. Spend some time with the Lord asking, “Lord, open my eyes, ears, and heart to my part in moving Your kingdom forward today.” Amen.
P.S. It seemed appropriate with John 10 to include a picture from our trip to Ireland above and also the song below has been on my heart today so I thought I would share.
