There are so many things that the hand of God is able to do. In my life, the two things that have had the most profound impact on me are that the hand of God has created me and covered me.
I have always been in awe of creation and the world around us. The peace and solace of being in nature is unlike any other. As my faith journey has progressed, I have learned that it is not just about being in awe of creation, but more about becoming more intimately connected to my Creator. About twenty years ago, I watched two talks by Louie Giglio titled “Indescribable” and “How Great is Our God”. From the massiveness of the galaxies and universe to the minute intricacies of our fearfully and wonderfully made human bodies, these two talks birthed a reverence and worship in my heart that has grown ever since. Spoiler (but no surprise!) alert: no matter how majestic or miniscule, the cross is at the center of it all.
We are not some random splat. We are the furthest thing from an accident, and there is nothing unplanned in God’s plan. We have been created in the very image of God (Genesis 1:27). We have been measured even to the number of hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30). Our DNA sequence has been calculated unlike any other of the billions of people on our planet. We have been known before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) and were knit together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). Knit. Intentionally. Intricately. Intimately. His hand has created me.
The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:8-30) is a story of God’s provident protection when we refuse to bow down or worship anything other than Him. In my career as an educator, I have been faced with many situations where I had to choose between my earthly boss and my heavenly Master. It has not always been an easy road, but I have felt the hand of God cover me every single time.
The most trying of situations came several years ago during our daughter’s junior year of high school. Matt and I both faced tremendous adversity and had several negative actions taken against us. It was no doubt the worst professional storm we had walked through together…the fire seemed seven times hotter than it ever had before. But God. We chose “One Way” as our basketball team’s theme for that season, based on the movie “Woodlawn”. We professed that Jesus would be at the center of everything for our team and season. Our covenant with each other, our team, and our God was that we would do everything “One Way” to bring honor and glory to Him and Him only.
I have never felt the covering of God’s hand over my life as much as I did during that year. Even when the storm swelled and the fire raged, His peace was ever present on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. Our team won the 3A State Championship with an undefeated 37-0 record, and I will forever be grateful to The One who scripted that entire season. Am I grateful for the furnace, fire, and flame? I would not know the 4th Man in the fire more deeply without them. I would not know how powerful His presence truly is without them. I would not know the deliverance of coming out not even smelling like smoke without them. His hand has covered me.
One of my favorite song lyrics says, “I may not know what the day may bring, but I know Who brings the day”. When the almighty hand of God pushes that glorious sun up every morning, I am reminded of how thoroughly and affectionately I have been created. I am reminded that no matter what storm may come, He will be there in the fire and deliver me from it. My Creator is sovereign and I am safe in the covering of the Lord.
We would like to thank Courtney Garrett for writing this post.
Women's Ministry 