When we feel overwhelmed, God will wrap his arms around us and whisper in our ear, “I love you.” The hope comes in knowing that in Christ, God has claimed victory over our greatest enemy, death itself. The resurrection points toward that day when all in Christ shall be raised again to live forever with him in paradise.
His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you. You can run under his covering of majesty and hide. His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm.
“Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him.” When the Bible talks about God's right arm, it refers to His powerful, ruling arm—His justice, His holiness, and His strength. God is like that. He is all that and more.
"God's Covering" is an expression which describes the spiritual protection and nurture which God provides for all those who are in a covenant relationship with Him.
Isaiah 52:10-12 - MSG Bible - God has rolled up his sleeves.
You bring victory to all who are pure in heart.
not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still” (Isaiah 9:12, 17). 1 In his prophecies that hand is sometimes extended in anger and a moment later in mercy, but always in love. There is a sense that God is reaching for us even when we are turning away.
He sees you in the Beloved—He sees you in Christ, and He sees the blood that has been shed for you by His dear Son. When God looks at you today, He sees Jesus. Because of this, His thoughts toward you are thoughts of loving-kindness, forgiveness, blessings, and favor.
Our faith can guard us during trials in the same way a shield would during battle. For example, when doubt creeps in and our beliefs are questioned, our faith in Christ will protect us. We can stand firm in knowing what we believe. In addition, our faith can protect us when we experience anxiety and fear.
Through the scriptures, we are taught that God will always hear our prayers and will answer them if we address Him with faith and real intent. In our hearts we will feel the confirmation that He does hear us, a feeling of peace and calm. We can also feel that everything will be fine when we follow the Father's will.
The human arm is often used in the Bible to symbolize spiritual strength or power.
The arms are the means of support, therefore to refuse to aid the fatherless is to break their arms (Job 22:9). Applied anthropomorphically to God, the arm denotes also His power, power to deliver, support, conquer. His "outstretched arm" delivered Israel from Egypt (Exodus 6:6; Deuteronomy 4:34, etc.).
The hand represents divine approval, and specifically acceptance of his sacrifice, and possibly also the storm mentioned in the gospels. The hand may be seen in the Ascension of Christ, sometimes, as in the Drogo Sacramentary, reaching down and clasping that of Christ, as though to pull him up into the clouds.
In ancient Egyptian royal literature, a pharaoh is frequently described as using his "mighty hand" or "outstretched arm" to perform mighty deeds. By describing God's defeat of Egypt in this language, the Bible argues that its God has outdone the greatest earthly leader.
The usual contextual meaning is divine deliverance of Israel from her enemies. See, for example: “the Lord your God freed you from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm” (Deut 5:15).
Our bodies are so important that the Lord calls them temples of God (see 1 Corinthians 3:16–17; 6:19–20). Our bodies are holy. Because our bodies are important, our Father in Heaven wants us to take good care of them. He knows that we can be happier, better people if we are healthy.
We can only get God's protection by trusting in God through His Son, Jesus. We do not have to earn God's protection or His love. If you have not trusted in Jesus and committed to following Him or you need to recommit your life to Him, why wait any longer?
Lord God, I pray for Your protection as I begin this day. You are my hiding place, and under Your wings I can always find refuge. Protect me from trouble wherever I go, and keep evil far from me.
These pieces are described in Ephesians as follows: loins girt with truth (belt of truth), breastplate of righteousness, shoes with the preparation of the gospel of peace (peace), shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit/word of God.
God sees each of us through eyes of unconditional love, and He loves everyone—it doesn't matter what they do, where they work, how much money they have, how educated they are or what they look like. We need to do the same. We need to learn to see others as God sees them.
We must intentionally put our focus on Jesus and embrace our uniqueness and all that God has given us. He chooses to see us as right and justified because we are in His Son and we believe. He is so much greater than our flaws, struggles, and our past.
Paralleled in Lk 11:34–36: 'Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.
Stretching means trusting God in all circumstances. Then we will be more like “rubber bands” God can use to do his work in this world. Lord Jesus, help us to forget our past failures and lack of faithfulness in order to press on toward our heavenly prize. Stretch us toward your goals and your glory.
The line from the Apostles' Creed “He sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty” has both theological and practical implications. The “right hand” is seen as a place of honor and status throughout the biblical text.
None can hold him back. None can stay his hand.” Then, interestingly enough, there's no regal declaration in chapter 5. That's the story of Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, Belshazzar, who sees the handwriting on the wall.