The Invisible Hand of God

"So I was encouraged, as the hand of the Lord my God was upon me; and I gathered leading men of Israel to go up with me."

Ezra 7:28 NKJV

The experience of Ezra, scribe and priest, who obtains the favor of King Artaxerxes to return from Babylon to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, is accompanied in the biblical account by an expression that directs our gaze elsewhere: the hand of God was upon him (7:6). The actor in the story and the one who governs events is Someone above the king, whose intervention is represented by the hand. From a physical standpoint, there is nothing strange about this; the hand is simply the palm and the fingers. So God uses His hands. This is nothing new if we think of the creation of man formed from clay, just like the potter whose workshop the prophet Jeremiah enters. Furthermore, when the Bible recounts that God frees His people from slavery and leads them to freedom, it says He saves them with “a mighty hand and an outstretched arm” (Psalm 136:12; Exodus 32:11). For the reader of the Bible, the right hand is a sign of strength, security, and victory. In fact, God’s right hand supports those who are weary, lifts up those who have fallen, and defends those in danger. When everything seems in peril, God’s right hand is firm; it does not let us slip and reminds us that we can find support and courage. The left hand, on the other hand, might make us think of closeness and tenderness, and His love is complete: strong and gentle at the same time.

God is not only powerful, but also attentive and caring. He is like a mother hen gathering her chicks under her wings. Just as a parent takes their child’s hands to teach them to walk, so God accompanies us with patience. When we say “the hand of God,” we mean something profound; since God does not have a body like ours, we are explaining that God acts, intervenes, accompanies, and cares for people. The words of Ezra, with which we began this reflection, assure us that His hand is at work even when you do not see it; it is at work when you do not hear it. Just recall the story of Esther and her uncle Mordecai in Persia under the threat of genocide orchestrated by Haman. Throughout the entire book, God does not appear or get mentioned in any way, yet it is evident that behind the twists and turns of the story there is an invisible hand, working through human intervention and the historical process to bear witness to the “hidden miracle”—which does not make us puppets on the stage of existence. I want to assure you as much as I can that God’s invisible hand is also upon you: it holds you and guides you, encourages you and protects you.

Chapter 33 of Exodus tells of Moses asking to see the glory of God, that is, His face. The Lord does not grant his request, but tells him to climb onto a rock, and as He passes by, He would place him in a cleft and cover him with His hand. God’s hand hides and protects. In holding us in His hand, He has now engraved our faces on the palm of His hand (Isaiah 49:16), including yours. Even when we don’t understand everything, we can believe that a greater hand enfolds us. Just as God uses His “hands” to love, we too can use ours to do good. All our actions involve our hands, for good or for evil. With them we can build, help, and protect, just like Jesus, who laid His hands on the sick, or even just touched them (Mark 6:5; 8:23). At other times He spread His arms to welcome people; on other occasions He laid His hands on children to bless them (10:16). He told the disciples that their hands would be used to heal the sick (16:18). And that is what happened. Imagine this hand at work in helping a friend, in the embrace of someone who loves you, in the strength you find within yourself when everything seems to want you to give up. If you close your eyes, even now this invisible hand surrounds you. Have faith in Him.

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Weekly Bible Reading Plan #13

March 23, Joshua 13–15; Luke 1:57–80

March 24, Joshua 16–18; Luke 2:1–24

March 25, Joshua 19–21; Luke 2:25–52

March 26, Joshua 22–24; Luke 3

March 27, Judges 1–3; Luke 4:1–30

March 28, Judges 4–6; Luke 4:31–44

March 29, Judges 7–8; Luke 5:1–16