I’m not a great art aficionado or adept at anything medical, so when both of those things converged in my life in the same week, they caught my attention. However, when a third “coincidence” happened, I realized something else might be going on. Those three things confirmed the truth of a quote I once read, “Lord, please make it happen in the most impossible way so they know it’s only You who could have done it.” It really did seem impossible.
The first part of this trifecta happened at my mailbox when I received a postcard from Vatican City (No, it wasn’t from anyone considered a pontiff!). On it was a copy of Michelangelo’s famous fresco that showed God’s hand reaching to His creation, Adam. Not to be overly dramatic but seeing the hand of God depicted in such a tangible way made it seem like He was reaching out to me!
The second part had to do with a different hand, namely mine! That week I was scheduled to have carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand and was thinking a lot about it. Looking over the pre-op instructions made me nervous, so I asked God to help me to not be scared. On the night before the procedure, He answered my prayer in a special way.
As the postcard and the medical instructions laid on the table beside me, I opened my Bible to Isaiah 41. That chapter was part of a specific “Read Through the Bible in A Year Plan” I’d been following for several months. It was not a random pick. After I read verse 13, I stopped for a minute. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Then I read it again. It said, “For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I am the One who helps you.’”
Isaiah’s words couldn’t have been clearer! The LORD my God was going to hold my right hand during the procedure. I didn’t need to be afraid. He was reaching out to me, just like the postcard showed. He was going to help me through everything I was about to face. As I entered the hospital the next day, I remembered His words of comfort. I wasn’t in the Sistine Chapel, but somewhere much more precious. I was in His hands.
I sometimes forget that in the most basic terms, God is my Helper. He loves to help me and probably is doing it right now, even though I don’t notice! He’s always in the background of my life helping me along the way.
The Hebrew name for God as my Helper is Jehovah Ezer. This name was used in Psalm 33:20, “Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.” And again, in Psalm 118:6-7, “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The LORD is on my side as my Helper…”
After my surgery, I didn’t expect any more revelations concerning my hands or God’s, but I was wrong! In one final twist of the story, I realized that both of us had permanent markings to remember this eventful experience. Mine came as a result of the procedure itself with a tiny scar visible on my wrist. The LORD’s came many years earlier as Isaiah recorded His words in 49:15 & 16, “…I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands…”
In a few weeks I’ll be back at the hospital to have this same procedure on my left hand. This time around I won’t be as anxious. The One who has my name written on His hands will be helping me in the room. There will be nothing to fear as He holds me close. The scar on my hand will be there to remind me that He is Jehovah Ezer. I’m thankful He’s still reaching out to me and is the One who never forgets.