Leading With an Outstretched Hand
This verse was a beautiful encouragement recently:
“For 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 NIV
Think about the metaphor: If God takes my [strong] right hand, He takes it in His left hand. I give up my [strong] right arm—the arm I use to provide for my needs and to defend myself—to depend instead on His strong right arm. Giving up one’s pretensions of ability and strength is no easy step, and it requires a great deal of faith. One thinks of Peter stepping out of the boat to walk across the water to Jesus (Matthew 14:22–31). Peter had no notion that he could walk on the water, but trusted Jesus to stretch out His hand and catch him (v. 31)—but not without a measure of panic along the watery route.
Leading a Christian organization or ministry—or even a family—requires a lot of stretching out of hands. Obviously, our work involves the use of our own hands, and God certainly expects us to do what we can do. A leader also stretches out a hand to find partners in the work. Fundraising involves an outstretched hand as well, with palm facing upward. But work in the Kingdom of God always includes a dimension that we cannot achieve by any measure of hard work or profit or philanthropy. If God doesn’t do the spiritual side of our endeavors, no amount of hard work on our part will make up the difference.
We so often forget that our productivity and effectiveness in our Kingdom work requires a dependency on God. In the passage from Isaiah, God calls Israel out of exile from the farthest corners of the earth to be His servant (41:9). The service will involve deliverance from captivity but also more than a quantum of suffering on Israel’s part. But God says three times “do not fear . . . I will help you” (vs. 10, 13, 14) and promises a future of flourishing. Those who work for God will inevitably suffer, but they do so with the promise and reality of God’s help.
Prayer: O God, as you delivered Israel “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,” stretch out Your hand to help me! I yield any notion that by my strength I can prevail. Here is my right hand! Take away my own defense and give me Yours! Take my puny craft and work Your power in its place. Take away my expected results and give me Your perfect outcomes according to Your will. Amen.