June 10
. . . you lay your hand upon me. . . Where can I go from your spirit? . . . If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. Psalm 139: 5-10
Our sense of touch is a wondrous gift from God! The feeling of having a hand upon us is comforting and the ability to feel is simply extraordinary! (Realized even more so when the complexities of the relationship to the many cells, nerve endings, etc. that connects with the miracle of our brain to make it happen are studied!) Having a daughter and dear friend who are massage therapists, it has been a blessing to experience the healing effects of massage therapy. Feeling relaxed and newly aware of muscles that I had no idea were in such need of that healing touch, I am left wishing I could take the time to do this more often. But then, there is so much that is experienced each day without taking notice really. How wondrous to be able to feel the tender caress of a loved one, the gentle touch of a child’s hand in yours or the sweet curl of an infant’s fingers wrapped around your own, the reassurance of an understanding arm around your shoulder, the calming effect of patting the soft fur on a beloved pet, the enlivening sensation of making hand prints in the snow or holding a freezing cold snow ball in a blizzard, or to the contrary the relaxing, soothing warmth of making a sand castle in the heat of the sun, by the roar of the sea . . . oh, and so much more, that is part of experiencing life. And the psalmist tells us through it all, God’s hand is upon us . . . and we are enlivened and soothed, guided and calmed, directed and loved.
When presented with reason to feel uncertain or worried, knowing that His “right hand shall hold me fast” instills in me feelings of safety and security. In fact, how could we not feel unshakable, knowing this? The psalmist talks not only about God’s hand upon us, but also His knowledge of us - His awareness of our comings and goings and His knowing our very thoughts and words. Our God will lead us through any challenge and all the while understands the concerns in our hearts for He created them! Yet, don’t we often mistakenly envision God quite removed from us; observing us from a distant place, in judgment of our every action, rather than offering us His consolation? How often do we feel He is indifferent to our daily experiences- our joys, sorrows, worries or pain? Surely He must have other people and things more important to be concerned with than us! How we forget the depth of His love! He holds us tightly and will never let us go.
Scripture tells us that He is with us always and with His loving hand He actively offers guidance to our steps and words, comforts us in our sorrows, assists us in our need and heals us of our pain. He is a living God! He is constantly, tenderly caressing us with His gentle love. In our hearts we know this; if we take time to listen, and especially to feel, we know this. How good God is!
Thank you God for the gift of touch and for our ability to feel! Thank you for keeping your loving hand upon us, Lord!
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson
. . . you lay your hand upon me. . . Where can I go from your spirit? . . . If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. Psalm 139: 5-10
Our sense of touch is a wondrous gift from God! The feeling of having a hand upon us is comforting and the ability to feel is simply extraordinary! (Realized even more so when the complexities of the relationship to the many cells, nerve endings, etc. that connects with the miracle of our brain to make it happen are studied!) Having a daughter and dear friend who are massage therapists, it has been a blessing to experience the healing effects of massage therapy. Feeling relaxed and newly aware of muscles that I had no idea were in such need of that healing touch, I am left wishing I could take the time to do this more often. But then, there is so much that is experienced each day without taking notice really. How wondrous to be able to feel the tender caress of a loved one, the gentle touch of a child’s hand in yours or the sweet curl of an infant’s fingers wrapped around your own, the reassurance of an understanding arm around your shoulder, the calming effect of patting the soft fur on a beloved pet, the enlivening sensation of making hand prints in the snow or holding a freezing cold snow ball in a blizzard, or to the contrary the relaxing, soothing warmth of making a sand castle in the heat of the sun, by the roar of the sea . . . oh, and so much more, that is part of experiencing life. And the psalmist tells us through it all, God’s hand is upon us . . . and we are enlivened and soothed, guided and calmed, directed and loved.
When presented with reason to feel uncertain or worried, knowing that His “right hand shall hold me fast” instills in me feelings of safety and security. In fact, how could we not feel unshakable, knowing this? The psalmist talks not only about God’s hand upon us, but also His knowledge of us - His awareness of our comings and goings and His knowing our very thoughts and words. Our God will lead us through any challenge and all the while understands the concerns in our hearts for He created them! Yet, don’t we often mistakenly envision God quite removed from us; observing us from a distant place, in judgment of our every action, rather than offering us His consolation? How often do we feel He is indifferent to our daily experiences- our joys, sorrows, worries or pain? Surely He must have other people and things more important to be concerned with than us! How we forget the depth of His love! He holds us tightly and will never let us go.
Scripture tells us that He is with us always and with His loving hand He actively offers guidance to our steps and words, comforts us in our sorrows, assists us in our need and heals us of our pain. He is a living God! He is constantly, tenderly caressing us with His gentle love. In our hearts we know this; if we take time to listen, and especially to feel, we know this. How good God is!
Thank you God for the gift of touch and for our ability to feel! Thank you for keeping your loving hand upon us, Lord!
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson