Hands that Shaped are Holding...

I've got some things weighing heavy on my heart.  This morning was a lovely morning (felt very much like fall!) so I decided to grab my ipod with music and take a walk on our property.

As I was walking...
* I was listening to my music.
* I was thinking through some things.
* I was surrendering.
* I was praying...

I've walked the path through our 10 acres many times before.  You would think nothing should surprise me about the path it takes, the forage that lines it, the terrain it contains.

And yet, this morning I rounded a bend, looked up, and stopped in my tracks with a lump caught in my throat.

THIS....

And here's what made this stand out to me...

The song actively playing on my ipod at the time was "Your Hands" by J.J. Heller.  I was singing along, as if also praying, and the chorus led in to... "Your hands that shaped the world are holding me, they hold me still."

I am not even kidding.  As I turned the corner the words "Your hands that shaped the world" played, and in that moment, as if practiced numerous times to get it exactly on cue, I looked up and saw.... 

THIS...

Not broken.  Fully intact.  Almost as if purposely shaped from the trunk, bent over, and even for this very moment with all that is on my heart.... for me to be reminded.  Encouraged.  Bolstered in spirit.

".... are holding me, they hold me still...."

His hands that shaped the world.... are holding me.  If He can do that to a tree? Just sayin'...

And in that moment I stopped and circled back to from where I had just come.  I had climbed down into the middle of this and sat for about 10 minutes...

Thinking. Singing. Praying...

The world that He shaped was literally holding me in those moments as I settled into the middle of that place...

A reminder so tangible that the pieces of bark that had fallen down the back of my shirt scratched my neck as I walked back to the house with tears welling in my eyes in gratitude.

Grateful...

* that He walked with me this morning
* that He met me in such a personal and real way on that walk
* that He shaped this world by His very hands
* that He still holds me in those hands... HIS!

No! Matter!! What!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friend, does it feel that your world is shaking, that your heart is breaking?  Do you have troubles and unanswered prayers?  Are you tired, and weary, and just plain worn out?  

I offer you this gentle reminder... Heaven Stands!  He heals.  He is still in control!

Friend, the hands that shaped the world are holding you... even still!!

"See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands." ~Is. 49:16