In God's hands

It's funny how you can be hit with an almost evangelical sense of assurance at the most unexpected times.

I remember how one time when I was in theological college, I was on my way to church in the back seat of a friend's car, when suddenly I had this overwhelming feeling of having my life held in God's hands. My reaction was one of joyous laughter; it was Karl Barth who reportedly said, "Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God."

I was sitting a few moments ago flicking through the channels, and I decided, as I occasionally do, to see what was on Christian TV. Generally there's a steady diet of prosperity preachers and American televangelists, but once in a while there'll be someone worth listening to for a few minutes.Tonight when I switched on, three folk were sitting around in a church in London talking about the book of Genesis. One of them -- I have a feeling she was Billy Graham's daughter -- was talking about how good it was to know you're created individually by God, and how we find our true selves in pursuing the things we were created for rather than money and material things and all the things the "world" chases after. On the one hand, I recognized the crassness with which such sentiments are often expressed; yet on the other hand, I was struck by a sense of assurance of being created by God, of having my life in the palm of his hand, and of knowing that all the material crap I sometimes long to have and enjoy doesn't compare to the contentment and joy of abandoning everything to serve God and others, to live for what really satisfies.

It was another of those unusual moments of assurance. I half wanted to cry, and I half wanted to laugh, because it was joyous to think that when all else is done, I'm held in the palm of God's hand.

-Dave