Hand Check

[S] Ezra 7:28 --
28 and has extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king's mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to the hand of the LORD my God upon me, and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me.

[O] I am trying to picture when the hand of God is upon a person and although nothing specific comes to mind, my heart is filled with an awe just thinking about it.  How wonderful it is for His hand to be upon a person and His strength passes into the person's heart in order to lead others to carry out God's plans here on earth.  The beautiful part is that when God has His hand on someone, He has a purpose to use that person's life to bring forth His wonderful plans (Jeremiah 29:11); another way of saying this would be unless God has His hand on us foremost we cannot carry out His plans on our own.

[A] It's time for a "hand check" to see if God's hand is on me in order for me to carry out His wonderful plans in the ministries I'm a part of through my life.  Go no further until I confirm His hand holding me.

[P] Dear Father, may Your hand be upon this forgiven prodigal not because I am so good at what I'm doing but because as the one indebted to Your grace being carried by the strength which comes from Your hand on my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.