'TALK TO THE HAND"

Who do you confide in when you are upset or troubled? Who does the chaplain go to for comfort and support when even the spouse doesn’t seem to be listening or could never understand? There’s a saying popular in the culture that says “Talk to the hand” as if to say you’re talking to a wall, that the person you’re speaking with doesn’t care. But GOD does. Isaiah 49:16 says “See, upon the palms of my hands I have written your name; your walls are ever before me.”

Isaiah 49 is a love letter from the LORD to a hurting Israel. Israel has been disobedient. They have been punished and disciplined as they need to be by having the nations around them come against them. But the punishment is over. The LORD is explaining that after the discipline comes the blessing. They can’t accept that, though.

For the first 15 verses the people of Israel are complaining that they have been forsaken even by GOD. But He explains to them that He is better than a mother to them. That even a mother may turn against her own children, but He never will. He will only discipline them for their own good.

Whose hands are these? They are the Hands that formed Adam of the dust of the earth. They are the Hands that healed the sick and the blind, that fed the hungry and gave water to the thirsty, that gave bread and wine to His followers and said “take and eat and drink” to share in Him. They are the Hands of JESUS CHRIST which were nailed to a cross to bring about the salvation from Hell promised in this chapter.

This chapter explains that GOD Himself is the Salvation, the YESHUA, the
JESUS for His people. Literally, He is coming to rescue them, to save them
from themselves. No matter how bad their circumstances, no matter how ugly
life gets, no matter how misunderstood or abused you are by other human beings,
JESUS, the Salvation of GOD, is coming to bring you out of your pain and
punishment and Home to Himself. Every earthly power and king will bow before
His glory. Every power that opposes the chosen people of GOD will find
themselves striving with GOD Himself and will not only lose the battle but
will pay homage to Him through recognizing that He has set apart a people
for Himself.

Those Hands are extended to you, today. Your name is engraved on those hands in the form of a nail hole that He bears to this day for your sake. All you need to do is believe by taking His Hand, His promise, at His word.

This chapter says that same Hand will be lifted in triumph as a signal of the victory we have in CHRIST. When the end comes we will look up to see the Hand raised over us is not a hand of punishment but of our Savior and our GOD pointing the way Home to eternal joy He bought for us with Himself by the blood of that Hand.

So when you feel as if no one cares and you can talk to no one, remember…you can talk to the One whose Hands remain pierced for you.

Attached to this post is a drawing of a nail-pierced hand. I invite you to print it and write your name on it (or have someone do it for you if you're unable) to remind you that JESUS bears a reminder of you on His Body right now in Heaven.