Who Holds The Hammer?

Have you ever been crucified? Maybe not on a wooden cross plunged into the ground at Golgotha on a hill in Jerusalem, but maybe you have been beaten, abused, slandered, stripped of your dignity, raped, etc. I believe to one degree or another all of us have suffered at the hand of someone else. Can you think back to how you felt when these troubles came? Some of us don’t have to think too far back or maybe someone is in a situation right now that seems unbearable and hopeless. Who do you blame, what is your focus, who are your eyes on?

Well our example should be Christ. HE was blameless within Himself and yet we as a people beat Him, spit on Him, slandered His name, raped Him of His title and glory, disrespected Him and, dignity…we torn that down as much as we could as we walked beside Him up the hill to the cross where HE would lay down His life for us, and we were throwing out curses along the way. Why did HE do it, why didn’t HE stop? Why didn’t HE change His mind?

I suggest to you that Jesus knew God’s plan for HE was there when the plan was made. HE had already seen the beginning from the end, HE already knew how filthy our sin was and this is why HE came to save us. When we have bad things happen to us, know that God has a plan, that HE knows what outcome HE is looking for and that no one can do anything that HE doesn’t allow. There is a songwriter named Wes King who wrote a song called, “HE Chose the Nails.” Here are a few of the lyrics from the chorus,

The hand that held the hammer was the hand of God
The hand that took the nail was His only Son
The doors of heaven opened as HE opened up His hands
And it rained down mercy and it rained down mercy

Now you tell me how we are to handle our crosses? What if, when trouble comes, we remember who holds the hammer in our circumstances instead of looking at the human being as the one holding the hammer. In this way we will be able to forgive as Christ did because HE didn’t pay so much attention to us that it had Him change His mind. HE knew the redemption plan was already made and that God also has a plan for our lives. The cross, the hammer and the nails were needed to fulfill God’s plan. The painful situations that we find ourselves in are also part of the Master’s plan and as long as our perspective is heavenly minded and not earthly minded we can see that it is all working according to God’s will. HE never lost control when His Son was on the cross, and HE never second-guessed His plan to save us from the depths of hell.

You know what the great part of the story is, HE rained down mercy! Whatever we go through, although it may seem like death at times…mercy said no to death and yes to victory in Christ!

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