Thoughts: Hannah's Blog

This morning, as I was sipping on my cup of black coffee, I was deep in thought making a list of all the things I needed to do today. I saw some movement on my peripheral vision. I looked up to see a single branch in a tree shaking violently. I realised it must be because something big (a bird?) probably jumped from it. So I looked around to see what it could have been. I was rewarded with what I was looking for – it was a bird. 

A cuckoo was sitting on the compound wall next to that tree and it proceeded to walk the length of the wall giving me time to capture it in a video!

I chuckled to myself at having recorded today’s visitor! Usually birds fly so fast that by the time I get my mobile camera and focus on them they are gone. 

I was still thinking about it on the way to my office. How I was able to trace from the movement in the branch to the bird having been there. 

Lots of times in life, we can also trace the hand of God working in our life when we look closely. 

I love how Ezra uses the term “the hand of God” in his book. In every crucial moment in his life, he was able to trace the hand of God and acknowledge the same in his writing. 

I am sure if we were asked to trace the hand of God in our lives, we would definitely be able to come up with a list of all the times that God has delivered us in the past or showed favour through someone or blessed us in some way. We’d have extraordinary testimonies of God’s goodness and faithfulness in our lives.

Such moments are precious because they reveal bits and pieces of God’s character to us. And because it is so personal, it’s etched in our memories. 

It is easier to trace God’s hand when we are at the mountaintop but it is difficult to do so when we are journeying through life’s darkest valleys. When God seems silent, when hope seems far away, when you can see nothing moving, when things don’t happen the way you thought it would. That’s when we need to rely on what we have learned of God so far. There is this beautiful quote that says: “When we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart”

If you are at a point in life where you don’t seem to be able to trace God’s hand in your current situation, I’d like to encourage you to look back and remind yourself about the unchanging nature of God. Meditate on his qualities and choose to trust his heart. He is able to turn things around for our good. I’m sure one day, when we are out of this valley we will be able to say: “God’s hands were with me still, carrying me through the valley and out of it”. That we will be able to join Joseph in saying “you intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good”.