The Hands of God

By Gary Jansen

In our fast-paced, hectic world it is sometimes very easy to let our worries burden us and take control of our lives. When life’s problems have become too big, when you’ve done all you can do and can do no more, it’s time to turn them over to a higher power and place them in the hands of God.

The hand of God is a universal symbol, one depicted in art and words over the centuries. We find it in the Thirty-Seventh Psalm, “If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand,” and in Auguste Rodin’s sculpture The Hand of God, which depicts the creation of man coming from, well, God’s hand. From Norman Vincent Peale we read in The Power of Positive Thinking: “Put yourself in God’s hands. To do that simply state, ‘I am in God’s hands.’ Then believe you are NOW receiving all the power you need. ‘Feel’ it flowing into you.”

Here is a simple and quick exercise that has helped me over the years. Imagine before you two outstretched hands. The palms are up and the hands come together as if they are cupping falling water. Hold that image in your mind until it becomes very clear. You can picture the valley these two hands create, and you can see the lines of the palms that look like the contours of a map. These are big hands. These are strong hands. These are powerful hands.

Consider another image. With your eyes still closed, think of a problem in your life, something you’ve been worrying about but over which you have absolutely no control. Maybe you have a broken heart or worries about your health. Hand them over to God and let God take care of them for you. Maybe you’re late on your rent because an important check hasn’t cleared for you. Maybe your husband or wife is having a difficult time at work and the horror of layoffs hangs over your heads. Maybe a dear friend of yours is sick. Whatever it is, picture the problem in your mind. Okay. Got it?

I want you to take that image, that problem, the thing you’ve been worrying about, and I want you to place it in the open hands we talked about earlier. How do you do that? You can imagine the problem as if it were a snapshot, a photograph, or a still life and imagine yourself laying the problem in the palms of these two humongous hands.

Repeat these words: “I place my problems in the hands of God and have faith that everything will work out the way it is supposed to.” Take a few moments to focus on this image and the feelings and sensations you are experiencing. You might struggle in your belief or be skeptical about whether or not this will work. But don’t worry about the outcome. Just surrender yourself for a few moments. Then release this prayer and go about your day, trying your best to remember that no matter what you are going through there is one set of incredibly helpful hands you can reach out to for strength and support.

(For more spiritual practice ideas for busy people read these tips from Science of Mind Real Positivity columnist Mitch Horowitz and Science of Mind magazine Revealing Health columnist Dr. James Rouse). 

Gary Jansen, a senior editor at Penguin Random House, has edited books by Pope Francis, Benedict XVI and Deepak Chopra. He is the author of  The 15-Minute Prayer Solution: How One Percent of Your Day Can Transform Your Life (Loyola Press). Tim Botta’s artwork appears at http://timbotta.tumblr.com/ and Fine Art America.