Daily Affirmations - Day 5 - Now What Do You Say? - The Hand of the Lord

Day 5: The hand of the Lord

I cling to You; Your right hand upholds me

“The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.

I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set junipers in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together,

so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it…” (Isaiah 41:17-20).

Sovereign Lord, we come into Your majestic presence honoring and revering Your name, mindful that the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods (Psalm 95:3). And yet we call You heavenly Father, for You have called us through Christ Jesus to be Your children.

You have called us to know You as Father, the One who guides, shepherds, defends, and protects those who are Yours, and says to them, I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13).

We have known human fathers who, though flawed, give good gifts to their children (Matthew 7:11). But even for those who love well and seek the best for their children, there are human limitations, natural boundaries, impossible hurdles. But with you, O Lord, there is no lack, no barrier, no border, no impossibility.

You are our help for every circumstance; enough for our every need. Source of physical life and refreshment, You bring water from the rock (Exodus 17:6, Nehemiah 9:15, Isaiah 48:21. Spring of living water, You give eternal life from Your wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3). Sustainer of all there is, You speak and uphold all things by Your powerful word (Hebrews 1:3). Ruler over all nature, You command stars and galaxies, and You still the wind and the waves (Psalm 95:4-5, Isaiah 40:26, Matthew 8:26-27).

O Father, You alone are the God who causes change, and reversal, and restoration, "so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it…” (Isaiah 41:20). You alone can cause life, growth, and flourishing on the barren heights, in the desert, in the valleys, and on the parched ground.

We bring to You the desolate places in our world— literally and figuratively— the wastelands that have been pronounced dry, hopeless, impenetrable, irreversible, unsalvageable— by doctors, by experts, by sages, by unscrupulous powers, by corrupt systems of justice, of government, of business, of institutions.

We bring to You our "small chance," our "improbable", our "downright impossible." We bring to You our "written off", our "no hope", our "out of options."

We come, knowing that after— and in spite of— everything that has been said, the final word is Yours. And in faith and humility, we submit to Your perfect will even as we ask, "Now what do You say?"

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