Ron Hutchcraft Ministries

Monday, May 5, 2008

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You probably have a picture of yourself that you don't like, either on your driver's license, an ID card, or a passport. Now, there is probably a picture of you that you do like. That picture is the one that shows your good side, your hair is just right, there is good lighting and you're smiling. Once at a conference, there was a lady who really appreciated the ministry of one of my fellow speakers, and she asked, "Would you mind if I give you a picture of myself?" He said, "That would be fine." She signed it with a note, and he didn't look at it until he got to a lunch that I was also attending. He opened it, and said, "Hey, look at this picture." It was the most unusual personal photo I have ever seen. It was a picture of her hands.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about how "The Hands Tell it All."

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Isaiah 49, beginning at verse 15. God asks the provocative question, "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast, and have no compassion on the child she has born?" Of course, the answer to that should be never. But occasionally we know that might happen. "Though she may forget," God says, "I will not forget you." He says, "See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands." That lady gave my speaker friend a picture of wrinkled, worn hands. You could see that those hands had obviously worked very hard for a very long time. That's how she wanted to portray her life. God seems to be saying to us here, "If you want to know how I feel about you, look at this picture of Me. Look at My hands."

Do you know what the message is in His hands? "I will never forget you." First, you look at the hands of God in a stable, in a little town called Bethlehem, where all of the power of the Creator God is packed into this little Jewish baby. Here, His hands cannot even grasp His mother's nose. These are hands that created the world; now they're helpless as He becomes a human being.

Then, look at those hands touching people with healing at the point of their need. You can see those hands ultimately nailed viciously to a cross. A few days later, those hands are extended to Thomas to prove that He is alive. Now, Jesus is alive, He's glorified, but you know the nail scars are still there. God says we are engraved on the palms of His hands.

Maybe you're in a time when other hands have left you, they've let you go, they've let you down. Maybe the hand you once held isn't there anymore. The hands that paid you or met your material needs are maybe closed to you now. The hands that once applauded you, they're silent now. Even the hands that would like to help you now can't reach far enough to touch you where you're really hurting. But today, Almighty God has His hands open, and He cannot forget you. There are nail prints there because of how much He loves you, and no matter how alone you feel right now, He is offering all the grace, all the love, all the understanding, and all the power you need. God has you deep in His heart, and He's touching you even now. He wants you to know that. You are always on His mind. You are safely in His nail engraved hands if you have told Him, "Jesus, I am Yours." It could be that while Jesus has extended to you those hands that were pierced because of His love for you - dying for your sin - you've never really realized that you needed to belong to Him. Maybe you've turned your back on Him, maybe you've walked away from those hands, maybe you've ignored those hands. Not any more. Don't do it any more. He does not want to leave you out of His heaven. He does not want to leave you out of His family. He can't stand to leave you lost. He can't stand to lose you. Would you take His hand today and say, "Jesus, you are my only hope. You, who died for my sin; I have no other hope but you. You, who walked out of your grave under your own power; you can give me eternal life."

If you want that, we would love to encourage you and help you at this turning point in your life. Just go to our website, would you? It's yoursforlife.net. I can't help but think of those beautiful old words of the hymn, "I shall know My Redeemer when I reach the other side by the print of the nails."