Hand Prints

There’s nothing more fun than having Graeson, my 2-year-old grandson, over for the day. Long after Graeson has gone home, his hand prints remain. He’s left his mark on the curio cabinet, the back door, the stove. The other day my husband pointed to the wall and said, “Graeson’s hand.” Sure enough, he even left a hand print on the painted wall.

Like Graeson’s hand prints scattered around our home, God’s hand prints show up all over our lives. God’s goodness can be found in some of the most unexpected places.

The end of a year is my favorite time to reflect on life. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I’m always happily surprised to see God’s hand prints throughout the year, in places I may not have noticed while I was in the midst of the experience.

Instead of waiting until the end of each year, I want to be more aware on a regular basis. Like a game of “I Spy”, I want to discover God’s hand prints in daily life, noticing His workings in the midst of my doings.

Psalm 139:5-10 (TLB)

“You both precede and follow me and place your hand of blessing on my head.

This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe!

I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! 

If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there.

If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans,  even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me.”

We have this promise of His Presence. He goes before us and behind. He places His hand of blessing on our head. Now that’s a great place to find His hand print.

Some say we better be careful because there are some places the Lord won’t go with us, but this says we can never get away from God. I like how Hebrews 13:5 in The Voice translation says it…

“He has said, ‘I will never leave you; I will always be by your side.'”

Wherever we are, the Lord is hanging out with us, so He must be leaving some hand prints along the way. If we take a moment, we can recognize His blessings in our lives.

At the beginning of this new year, let’s keep our eyes open for God’s hand prints, even in the midst of our ordinary days.