Kept Safe in the Hands of God
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)
"Then the dragon [Satan] was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring--those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus." (Revelation 12:17)
Satan pursued me with great fury for a season. At one point during this time, I very narrowly escaped a life and death situation. In the following weeks after this episode the pressure was extreme because he did not let up on his pursuit. I honestly did not know whether I would live or die a tortured death.
Under such extreme stress I utterly threw myself into the hands of God for safe-keeping. I wholly entrusted myself to Him, whether I lived or died. After a few weeks of this intense heat, God mercifully showed me and reassured me that, even though the warfare was incredibly intense (and far, far beyond my ability to handle or fight), that He was with me, guarding my life from the jaws of the grave. He showed me that no matter to what extremes Satan may go to in order to kill me, God would thwart and overpower everything he tried. He gave me His Word in Isaiah 41:10 (above), and it gave me great relief.
Also during this time, the stories of David in 1 and 2 Samuel as well as many of the Psalms (especially Psalm 18, 56, 57) were powerfully 'quickened' to me and provided me with much encouragement and comfort.
This painting illustrates what I felt in this situation after having received God's reassurance of protection. The blood of Jesus is one of the most powerful weapons we have against Satan. For this reason, the person who is taking refuge in the hands of God is surrounded by a shield of Jesus' blood. "They [believers in Christ] overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb [Jesus]..." (Revelation 12:11)
The wing in the painting represents the shielding wings of the Almighty God, under which many people (in Biblical and regular history) have taken refuge in perilous situations. "Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed" (Psalm 57:1).
"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart" (Psalm 91:4).
Lastly, the hands of God come from Jesus' promise in John 10:28-30, "I give them [believers in Jesus] eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
In the heated aftermath of this experience, I wrote a psalm. It is very similar to many of the Psalms in the Bible; however, I do not consider it a copy of their work because this was my true heart's cry during this situation. Rather, I view it as a striking parallel to the works of the Psalmists, who also endured similar situations and wrote about them.
I take refuge beneath your wings.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
Save me from my enemies who pursue me.
They close in on me, a band of evil men encircle me in order to devour me.
But you are my Strength.
You are my Sovereign.
You are my Shield, my Strong Tower, my Deliverer.
Under the shadow of your wings I take refuge, my Shelter, my Rock.
I am kept safe in the Almighty.
I am hidden from their sight.
You defend me with your great power.
The eyes of the Lord watch over me for my good;
for his name's sake he does this.
He will never let the righteous fall.
Arise, O LORD! Strike my enemies on the jaw!
Pursue them until they are completely destroyed,
until they are shattered like broken shards of pottery.
Awaken your might, O my God, my King--
the Great King over the heavens and the earth.
Display your majesty and the power of your might.
Gain glory for yourself so that your name will be proclaimed in all the earth,
that the nations may know that the LORD is God and there is no other!
Who is like the LORD?
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