October 12 -- "My Times are in His Hands"

 Today’s Reading: Psalm 31

"My Times are in His Hands"

David was sad. His life was spent with grief, and his years with sighing. His sorrow had sapped his strength. Cruel enemies pursued him with malicious intentions, even seeking his life. At this sad and grief-filled time in his life, David turned to the best possible resource available to him – his trust in God. He had no other refuge but that which he found by faith in the Lord his God.

Having taken to trusting in God, David makes a wonderful claim – “my times are in Your hand.” By these words, David was acknowledging God’s divine providence, protection, provision, and guidance.  This to him was a most cheering fact: he had no fear as to his circumstances, since all things were in the divine hand of his loving Heavenly Father.

The great truth is this – all that concerns you as a follower of Christ is in the hands of the Almighty God. Your “times” may change and shift; but they change only in accordance with God’s unchanging love, and they shift only according to the purpose Him with whom is “no variableness nor shadow of a turning” (James 1:17).  Your times, that is to say, your ups and your downs, your health and your sickness, your poverty and your wealth, your joy and your grief – all those are in the hand of the Lord, who arranges and appoints according to his holy will the length of your days, and the darkness of your nights. Storms and calms will vary with the seasons of divine appointment. Sometimes He calms the storm, sometimes He calms you during the storm.  It is all in His gracious, kind, and loving hands.  Whether times are refreshing or gloomy remains with Him who is Lord both of time and of eternity.  We, like David, should rejoice in this eternal truth!

The ultimate results of His work of grace upon us, and of His transformation of us in this life, are in the highest hand. We are not in our own hands, nor in the hands of “the fates”; but we are under the skillful operation of the hands of our Maker, who makes nothing in vain. The end of our life is not decided by the some random “fate” or by accident; but by the hand of love. We shall not die before our time, neither shall we be forgotten and left upon this earth too long.

It is important to note that David's times were in God's hand because that’s where he had placed them. He had by faith intentionally committed all to God. Observe carefully verse 5 of this Psalm: "Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” We, too, as followers of Christ, must be intentional about our trust in the Lord.  We, like David, must commit our spirit to Him and trust that the entirety of our lives are in His loving and gracious hands!