The Long Arm of the Lord

-Joe Fornear

Some people talk about “The Universe” orchestrating events and ordering or disordering our lives. They try to stay on the right side of “it” so that good things will happen in their lives. Others chuckle at an impersonal force controlling our lives, yet see God in much the same way, like some cosmic referee robotically dishing out punishments or rewards.

But the Bible is crystal clear; the correlation between our goodness and good things happening is far from lock-step. And vice versa too – people are not automatically punished when they do wrong… are we? In Psalm 73, David was disturbed by the prosperity of the wicked in the realms of wealth and health (“they have increased in wealth, and there are no pains in their death”), while he had troubles on every side.

There is good news though when bad news comes, like for me when I was told 12 years ago that I had terminal cancer. There is one sure thing, one constant in hardship – God can reach any corner of this universe and make changes there. Call it “the long arm of the Lord”:

Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short that it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. – Isaiah 59:1

After all, He spoke this big old universe into existence (Hebrews 12:3) and one day He will fold it all up like one of those Chinese paper fans and recreate a brand new one (Revelation 21).

Better yet, beyond His ability to save and deliver is His willingness to save and deliver. Note that our verse says He “hears.” In the Hebrew language and culture of that day, this didn’t mean He simply makes note of our cries, like we say, “I hear you.” It means He cares enough to do something about it! He’ll certainly walk us through whatever hardships He allows in our lives. That makes two really sure things, two constants in God’s little universe – He’s all-powerful and He’s all-loving!

So never resist those long and caring outstretched arms. Take your pains, griefs and heartaches with you and curl up with Him, the God of the universe!