In the Hollow of His Hand

In the Hollow of is Hand

The Gulf of Mexico. Florida Panhandle.

Truth 2: God is sovereign.

Sovereign is a significant word. In today’s culture it is largely a forgotten word. Where does the power and authority rest in all of the universe? Knowing the answer to this question simplifies life. Knowing the answer to this question minimizes questions we can’t answer. And life is filled with unanswerable questions. Understanding sovereignty takes away many of them.

The Bible is still a source of truth in our world today. It answers the sovereignty question. Read Isaiah 40:28:

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” Isaiah 40:28

Only God is sovereign. Being human, we regularly forget His sovereignty. When we forget our lives often become complicated and confusion increases.

What is the meaning of sovereign? A synonym for sovereign is supreme. God is supreme, He is absolute over all. Why is God sovereign you ask? The answer is incomprehensible, but let’s try. God is sovereign, supreme, over all because only God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. God has all of the power. God knows all the answers-before you ask the question, and God is here with us in this text…but He is also present in every place. God is everywhere and in every now. No molecule or atomic particle is so small that God is not fully present to it, and no galaxy so vast that God does not circumscribe it.

Sovereign is one of my favorite words. Knowing God is supreme can settles our anxiety. Knowing God is always near to us is great comfort. Knowing God knows about our every circumstance brings peace of mind. Knowing God’s power is limitless enables us to relax. When things seem to go wrong knowing God never leaves us or forsakes us enables us to go through the fire and swim through the flood. Only God can do that-because He is sovereign.

Isaiah knew of the sovereignty of God. In chapter 40 we read the clear understanding of sovereignty through the words of Isaiah. He portrays God as a shepherd who carefully cares for His flock. Then he asks a series of questions with every answer-God is sovereign.

 “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?” Isaiah 40:11-14

We need a sovereign Shepherd. It is hard to admit sometimes. But when no one else is looking, when no one else is listening, when no one else is watching-when we are all alone. We need a strong, protecting, rescuing Shepherd. We have tried everything else. Only the arms of the true Shepherd will comfort. He made us to be near to His heart. Isaiah reminds us God is our Shepherd. The Great I AM is the one true God.

Isaiah’s questions in this passage and this entire chapter are direct. They clearly point our attention to God alone.

His first question is “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?”

What does this mean? “In terms of volume, all of the water on Earth works out to about 1.386 billion cubic kilometers (km³) or 332.5 million cubic miles (mi³) of space. ” I’ll repeat that.  1.386 billion cubic kilometers (km³) or 332.5 million cubic miles (mi³) of space!” Truth! This figure is far too vast for my mind to comprehend. By the way, the figures we just stated are also estimates. Now the question, do you know anyone who is able to measure the waters of earth in the “hollow of His hand?” Neither do I.

How much water is on the earth? This is the Gulf of Mexico, from a beach on a Florida Panhandle island.

The second part of the question concerns the heavens. Remember? God measures the heavens with the breadth of His hand? A human hand-breadth is the distance across the palm-about 4 inches. How large are the heavens? NASA estimates the Milky Way galaxy to be 100,000 light-years across. We know generally how long a year is. To cross the Milky Way takes 100,000 years traveling at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second!). That’s one galaxy. Astronomers estimate there are between 100 and 200 billion galaxies. We just happen to live on earth in the Milky Way galaxy. Just how big is God’s hand?

Isaiah chapter 40 contains 20 questions like these first two. Every one directs us to one conclusion-one answer…verse 28 of chapter 40 sums it up clearly and directly, let’s read it once more:

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” Isaiah 40:28.

There is no ambiguity in this. God is supreme. He is sovereign.

Be awed that God is supreme and over all, completely sovereign. Be humble and thankful. Now for the most important reality. It is humbling. Are you ready?  Here it is: we are sinners in need of a Savior. Paul reminded us of this in the book of Romans. He wrote, in Romans 3:10, “As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one…” No exceptions- “not even one.”

Only a sovereign God could save us from our sins. Because He is sovereign, only God has the power, righteousness, and wisdom to save us. Only He is able…Supreme…over all…sovereign. In a confused, muddled world, the sovereignty of God is our lighthouse of hope.

Gulf of Mexico, Florida Panhandle. How many galaxies beyond the sun?