HEAVENSREEF

HE TAKES YOUR EMPTY HANDS AND FILLS THEM……..

What do we bring our LORD, except empty hands?  Often we bring hands that are tired and battered…….fingers that are split and bleeding or even broken.  But still……..we bring them.

Our hands are a work of art, created by the LORD who knew we would need them.  There are 27 bones in the human hand and they all work together to help grasp and perform specific tasks.  All those 27 bones work together with one another……..they are a reflection of GOD’S beautiful creation and we shouldn’t take them for granted.

Our hands go through a lot…….they have done good things and bad.  On any given day, our hands might type out words, or pull weeds, clean, bake or fold reverently in prayer.

What have your hands touched recently?  What have they reached for the most?  Answers might be your children, husband, your phone……..but what about your two sweet empty hands reaching up to the LORD in beautiful submission?

We praise in vertical submission to receive HIS grace.  Reaching hands up, we adore GOD!  We can ask for HIS grace, but we have to have empty hands to receive that grace.  Because we are sinners with nothing to bring before CHRIST……..we come before the Cross completely empty-handed.

WHEN WE DO, HIS GRACE ALONE FILLS OUR OPEN HANDS.

GOD’S precious gift of grace fills our hands, so we may reach for others with gifted hands!  There are hands that heal, hands that comfort and hands that consistently and faithfully pray for others. There are hands that perform delicate tasks and hands that do hard labor.

COME TO THE LORD WITH EMPTY HANDS AND RECEIVE ALL HIS MERCY AND LEAVE WITH HANDS FULL.

Reaching for the LORD when you need HIM most will never leave you worse off.

LUKE 6:10 “HE LOOKED AROUND AT THEM ALL, AND THEN SAID TO THE MAN, “STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND.”  HE DID SO, AND HIS HAND WAS COMPLETELY RESTORED.”

JESUS restored the man’s hand, but what was he required to do first?  He had to reach!

Everyday then, our hands never lack for something or someone to touch…….HE restores our hands every day.  The power of touch is everything!

EXODUS 15:6 “YOUR RIGHT HAND, O LORD, IS GLORIOUS IN POWER.”

And isn’t it a comfort to know that we sit in the LORD’S mighty hands?  Oh, what the LORD’S hands have created since the beginning of time!  And we are part of that creation.  Never forget HIS power to heal, rebuke and transform!

1 PETER 5:6 “HUMBLE YOURSELVES, THEREFORE, UNDER GOD’S MIGHTY HAND, THAT HE MAY LIFT YOU UP IN DUE TIME.”

HE lifts us with HIS hands!

PSALM 136:12 “………WITH A MIGHTY HAND AND OUTSTRETCHED ARM; HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER.

Your hands can do powerful things, or they can be weak, but let your hands be mighty in all you do, so that your working hands can always be working for the LORD who loves you.  DO what you can in secret, for the LORD sees what our hands do in secret even when others don’t.  Open your hands now and receive………receive HIS amazing grace to pass on to those around you…….then GO!  Go praise the LORD, then reach, touch, love and build one another up.  HE has lifted you with HIS mighty hands……..now go lift others too.  REACH FOR THE LORD AND YOUR HANDS WILL NEVER BE EMPTY!

NEHEMIAH 6:9 “FOR THEY WERE ALL TRYING TO FRIGHTEN US, SAYING, “THEIR HANDS WILL BE WEAKENED IN THE WORK, AND IT WILL NEVER BE FINISHED.” BUT NOW, MY GOD, STRENGTHEN MY HANDS.”