Thank you, Dottie Wilson for these words…and thanks to God for giving me a vision this morning!
“God isn’t preparing you for an ordinary life but one that will impact not only you but those around you. Your weakness is not an obstacle to God‘s power. When your pain is greater than your capacity, the Holy Spirit translates your heart to God. When you understand, you are being prepared for victory, pain gains meaning, waiting gains purpose, and struggle gains significance. You are not being diminished, you are being expanded. You are not being broken, you are being strengthened. You are not being destroyed. You are being rebuilt. Romans 8:37 says, “In all these things (suffering, pain, hardship, sickness, loss, persecution) you are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” That means you do not just overcome obstacles, you transform them into steps to something greater. That is what a conqueror does!” (Dottie Wilson, 4/21/26 morning text devotional)
Our actions as overcomers, as conquerors……may not be observed by others. They may not win the accolades of people. But they are directed by a Sovereign God for His purpose and we may be sure that God anoints us and consecrates us to those actions, sees them, applauds them and takes joy in working good through them, whether the results are revealed in the physical before the eyes of others or shrouded behind the veil in the spiritual realm for the eyes of God Himself, His angels, and the saints on high.
God is at work. We are part of His armamentarium, His chosen instruments. Let us not grow weary. We are not responsible for outcomes. We are only responsible to remain attentive to His directives and obedient to carry them out. Praise the Sovereign Lord whose wisdom, power, and authority are wielded with gentleness and grace.
Today as I was in prayer with a group of intercessor friends, I had a vision as the words from Matthew 6:3 flashed before me in my frontal brain…..”But in your doing charity, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” The vision was of the LORD God with arms extended, holding the right hand of one person and the left hand of another. We had been recapping a recent conference teaching on spiritual gifts. The message that came with this sudden one frame vision was, “Do not compare one’s gift to those of another. Let each exercise her gifts in harmony with God’s will. Each person’s grasp is to be in the hand of the LORD who gives strength and direction.”
We don’t hold one another up in the work of the kingdom, but rather God’s mighty hand holds each of us up. His sovereign will, and His gentle and loving application of that will, as well as His own work in and through us individually and in company with His will and work through others is the mortar amidst our own gifts in building the kingdom. This verse isn’t about secrecy. It is about trusting in the hand that holds yours and trusting that the LORD God holds each hand that labors beside you.
And immediately this song began playing in my mind:
“Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By puttin’ your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee
Every time I look into the Holy Book I want to tremble (tremble)
Or when I read about the part where the carpenter cleared the temple (temple)
For the buyers and the sellers were no different fellas than what I profess to be
And it causes me shame to know we’re not the people we should be
So, put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By puttin’ your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.”
God is holding my hand. Have you placed your hand in His? Do we trust His sovereign work both in and among us?
The image below approximates the image in my mind (but it was only in shades of black and gray, not color.) CBB. 4/21/25
Although, as I reflect on this, perhaps God sovereignty is at work m, as well in directing me to this representative image and a subtle message that even our personal difference in practice of faith and political preferences are under His direction and authority…….. Hmmmmm.
