YOU ARE MADE BY GOD: IN HIS HANDS FOR HIS GLORY

Like clay in the hands of the potter, so you are in my hands.​

To know  there is a God and He personally formed you is a resting place for the soul. It's comforting to know I wasn't unwanted. I have a purpose to be here. There is a plan for my life. I'm not the consequence of a bad decision my mother made many years ago. No. I'm divinely made and crafted by the hands of the Most Excellent One, the Almighty, the powerful and knowing One, who is truth, love and righteousness.

No charge can be brought against this Magnificent One, not even my conception or birth. No charge of wrong-doing, negligence, nor oversight on His part: no, He made me with a purpose and a plan. I am not a mistake.  He knew everything that would happen to me and around me, and we can still say, "God is good." He is the Holy One. The Righteousness of Christ, His mercies, His attributes of perfection are all the full embodiment of the Father here on Earth. There is no error in Christ: only perfection, in all He made and did. This includes me and you. He traveled here from yonder heaven beyond creation, where absolute glory and righteousness live forever, to come here to give me eternal life with Him.

This is the good news. There is no more enmity between God and me. He has taken the wrath due me upon His own flesh. All that I must do is eat of it and drink of it, and I will have eternal life. All of this happened because He loves me. He has a purpose for my life. He wants a relationship with me. He likes me. He knows what He is doing and He is divinely working all thing together for my good (Romans 8:28-29). He knew about the bad things, but they didn't stop Him because His will and purpose are far greater than any bad someone might have done. In fact that's exactly the point of my life, because I'm able to say that He is good with my suffering, this demonstrates His glory. I was made to bear His image. I was made to shine His glory. The plans for my life and yours can be found in the Perfect One, The Holy One, The Righteous Father. 

For I know that plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a new future. Jeremiah 29:11

​When God made you, He already knew you. He already knew everything about you. Our earthly parents might not have known us or wanted us, but our heavenly Father did. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a new future." (Jeremiah 29:11). These are beautiful treasures in the heart of an unwanted and unloved child. Somebody bigger, somebody more powerful, somebody more loving was always watching over me. He was always by my side. When my earthly father decided to be a wealthy doctor and play a good game a golf rather then acknowledge that he had children, there was a loving and tender Father who said, 'You're not an orphan' and 'you're not alone.' He added, 'I always wanted you. I am willing to make a great sacrifice to have you with me.' He even said, 'I will teach you everything you need to know' so don't fear or be discouraged.' When my mother would scream hateful curses over us, there was One standing there saying, 'No, I rebuke those words, for this child is holy set apart with a heavenly plan for her existence. There is a divine calling upon this child's life. This child is anointed. This child was made for Me and My glory.' 

When mom was gone for months at a time, I had the comfort of sibling and my five older brothers and a sister to look after my physical needs. My oldest brothers always made sure there was something to eat and clothes to wear. But my heart, what about my heart? Or my identity? Who was shaping the image of myself? Who was letting me know that I'm not alone? I remember being a young girl and being alone a lot. The older kids didn't like playing with the baby. I couldn't keep up and I would snitch if they did something wrong when mom eventually got home. But I remember being in the living room with a picture on the wall. It was a picture of a man's face. I remember his eyes; they were piercing in a powerful yet tender way. They were always looking at me. These eyes talked: they were telling me that I wasn't alone. I would talk to this man in the picture. I'd test him. I'd try to hide from him and those piercing eyes to see if he was still looking. I'd run from one side of the room to the other, but he never failed. He was always still looking right at me. I would look into His eyes and it was as if he could see my soul. They made me fell loved. I felt protected. I knew I wasn't alone. I told him, "As long as you're looking at me, I'll never be alone." It gave me peace to go about my day. I knew that He was always there, looking at me, even when I wasn't look at him. Even when I forgot to look at him, he didn't forget to look at me.

There was another picture beside his face, and I knew it was the same man. But this picture was different. In this picture, the man was terribly upset. He was on his knees, crying. He was talking to God. There were rays of light falling upon him from heaven, but it didn't seem to matter because he was so upset. He was outside kneeling before a big rock in deep prayer and anguish of soul. I used to tell him, "You're so upset." Then I'd ask, "Why? Why are you so upset? What's wrong? What happened?" I would tell him, "Whatever it is, it's big. It has really hurt you, and the rays from heaven aren't taking the pain away." I'd walk away never understanding, but always wanting to know what grieved him. I felt bad for him. He was my friend and I didn't want to see him hurt. He left me feel his pain. He was so gracious, that He never told me that it was I who grieved him. He only ever told me that He loved me and I wasn't alone as long as He was around, and I knew in my heart that He'd always be around even though I didn't know who He was, at the time.

I was a child. No one really taught me. I didn't know who this man was. I didn't know He was God. I didn't know that He was actually alive and talking with me. I didn't know that He was right there in the room with me. I didn't know that literally, I wasn't alone for He was with me. I didn't know that He created me; that He loved me more than I could ever imagine; that He was God. I didn't know He was crying because of the wrath He was about ready to receive in my stead for all my wrong-doings. I didn't know He was paying the step price of all of my sins. I just knew that it was true when I told him, "I'm not alone with You here." It would take years before I eventually figures out who the man in the picture was, and is, and will ever be.

​God came from heaven to pay the price for all our sins. He came to put an end to the Law which binds us to our guilt. He came to put an end to sin and death so we could have eternal life. God is a living God, so the Son is, and if we believe that the Son was sent by the Father to cleanse us of our dead works and purify us, then we will have eternal life too. The Father's will is that the Son should come and lift us up with Himself on the last day.  God said, "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb" (Romans 8:29). He even tells us in that same verse, "I knew you before the foundation of the world." Although our earthly parents might not have had a plan for us or a desire to know and love us, our heavenly Father did and does.

Lord, I just pray that anyone under the sound of my voice, that they would receive You unto salvation. Father, that they would be called the elect, and that You would draw them to Yourself as You did me. Lord, I pray they receive the comfort and assurance that You gave me so many years ago when I thought I was alone. Lord, I pray a hedge of protection over their lives so they can have the rest and peace of mind and spirit to be able to quit their minds to be able to seek Your face. Oh, Heavenly Father, may we have the strength and courage to do Your will all the days of our lives. We love You. We thank You. We give You all the praise, honor and glory, now and forever. AMEN