Live and be sustained by the hand of the Lord
In life, we sit with plenty of choices. We have choices to make where we invest our trust, and our hope. Right now the economies across the globe are upside down. These are uncertain days. These are days of fear, and chaos and lawlessness.
This is a world where currencies and world economies and our very livelihood are determined by the value of the black oil. As the price of Brent crude oil fluctuates, so does currencies, so does food prices and so does the cost of living. These are volatile times, where wealth can disappear in a heartbeat and where the state of our health comes and goes like the ebb and flow of the ocean’s currents.
In these uncertain times, we will experience great uncertainty and fear if we choose to rely on this world and we put our trust in this world of shifting sand. This world is run by the black oil – for the black oil determines so often the reality of life. Reality is, if we trust in this to sustain us, to provide for us and to keep us going strong then we are heading for a fall. Man is fallible and will fail us. The economy will fail us. We cannot even rely on the employment we enjoy. We can trust little in this life, for if we place our trust in man, we shall be disappointed. If we solely place our trust in fail safe nets like policies and assurances, we shall be disappointed, for all these things are temporary and are susceptible to the ever shifting economic and political landscapes of the world. Even our money we own are nothing more than figures in cyber space.
So I have felt the Lord saying more than ever we need to rely we have a choice – we can either take the hand of the Lord and be fed from His hand, or we can take the left hand and be fed by the world. If we choose the hand of the Lord, we shall not be disappointed. If we take the hand of the world, we shall often be the victim of uncertainty, doubt and fear.
You see, we have a choice to live by the system as defined by the black oil, or we can be sustained by the eternal Kingdom which empowers the believers by the anointing of the Holy Spirit (the golden oil). For those who put their trust in the worldly ways put their trust in the black oil, yet those who put their trust in the Lord shall operate by the reality, by the truth and by the power of the anointing of the Holy Spirit! Indeed, those who trust in the Lord walk and act not by own might or strength, but by the Holy Spirit! What we do choose – the black oil or the golden oil? Is our hope in the worldly system, or is our hope, trust and refuge in the Kingdom of Heaven which is a Kingdom of power, where there is no lack? For the golden oil (anointing) never runs dry, never loses its lustre, its value, and it cannot be bought, manipulated, exploited or abused! It is the power of God to sustain, empower, edify and to uphold!
This does remind one of the Book of Revelations, and about how we cannot purchase anything without the mark of the beast. Whatever our take regarding Revelations, the truth is that the worldly system is volatile, and can crash at any time. Just look at the Great Depression decades ago. We indeed have a choice – rely on a supernatural God who is not volatile, infallible and true to His Word, or a world ruled by the hand of darkness.
Let us learn an important lesson from John 21 which reads (NKJV): 21 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” 6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.” 11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and eat breakfast.” Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, “Who are You?”—knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
To put this in context, remember this fishing expedition follows the crucifixion and the resurrection of the Lord. At this time He had not yet ascended to the right hand of the Father.
To understand the significance of what happened in John 21, we need to compare it to Luke 5: Four Fishermen Called as Disciples: 5 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” 9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken …
In Luke 5, the disciples were trying to catch fish without feeding from the hand of the Lord, for they did not yet understood what it means to follow the Lord and rely completely on Him. They were trying to do things in their own strength and wisdom, relying on the worldly ways to be sustained and to be fed. Yet then Jesus spoke a word, they trusted and so they relied on the Lord to feed them. Lo and behold they caught a great number of fish. You see, they were not feeding from the hand of the Lord yet as soon as they submitted and yielded to His way, they were sustained.
Fast forward three years or more after the crucifixion of the Lord, we find in John 21 the disciples again trying to catch fish in their own strength and in their own wisdom and they were again relying on the worldly ways to be sustained and to be fed. After all, they thought Jesus was gone for good. For some or other reason they had forgotten that the Lord said that He is the Resurrection and the Life. Yet the Lord showed up on the shore and again the Lord spoke as in the days when He first called the disciples. You see, the disciples needed to be reminded that their peace and joy rested in their reliance in the Lord and in their submission to be sustained by the hand of the Lord. For only in Jesus do we still find our salvation, hope, redemption, provision and strength. This world does not offer such peace and joy, only unhealthy fear and doubt.
So Jesus told them to cast the next on the right side. This alludes to the majesty, to the authority and to the divinity of the Lord for He sits on the right hand of the Father (Acts 7:55-56, Acts 5:31).
Read the following Scriptures:
Psalm 60:5: That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand, and answer us!
Psalm 108:6: That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand, and answer me!
Isaiah 41:10: 'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
Indeed, it was understood by the Israelites that God saved and sustained and delivered by His right hand. This merely speaks of God’s omnipotence, might, power and glory. For this reason Jesus ascended and sits on the right hand of God, for it speaks of a position of might, power, deliverance, redemption, hope and salvation. So Jesus told the disciples to cast the next on the right side because THEY NEEDED TO OPERATE OUT OF A POSITION OF AUTHROITY FOUND WHEN ONE ABIDES IN THE LORD WHO SITS ON THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER.
Indeed, throughout Scriptures we find reference to how the Lord upholds and sustains by His hand. We read for example:
Psalm 145:16: You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
1 Chronicles 29:12: "Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.
Isaiah 42:6: "I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nation
Acts 7:50: 'WAS IT NOT MY HAND WHICH MADE ALL THESE THINGS?'
Isaiah 66:2: "For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being," declares the LORD "But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.
Isaiah 48:13: "Surely My hand founded the earth, And My right hand spread out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together.
The Lord wants us to operate out of a position of authority, out of a position where we dwell in the presence of divinity and out of a position of the supernatural that surpasses the natural. Such authority and power and provision flows out of our relationship with the Lord, and indeed, if we have a relationship with the Lord this implies trust and faith. The Lord wants us to be only sustained and upheld by the Lord, which only happens when we abide in the Lord (John 15) – He who sits on the right hand of the Father. Then we shall be fed and be sustained from a position where we always cast the net to the right side, for then we do not rely on the hand of the world to feed us but we rely on the Word of God.
Remember how the Lord SPOKE and the disciples acted upon His Word in Luke 5 and John 21? And so this reminds us of Matthew 5: 4 But Jesus replied, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’”
At the end of the day, we as the disciples of the Lord must rely solely and utterly on the Lord, and we need to be led by His Hand, by His Word and by His Spirit. We cannot rely on the world to sustain us, to uphold us or to strengthen us, for then we will be casting our nets and come up empty. Only in God do we find our refuge, salvation and redemption! For this reason Jesus delivered his teaching in Matthew 6 about not worrying about tomorrow, but to rather seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness for then the rest shall be added. This merely means put first your hope in the Lord, and seek Him and trust He shall provide and sustain by His hand.
Remember the following verse Matthew 17? 26 Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.” Our God is a supernatural God and in Him alone we must trust. He makes a way where there is no way!
For it says “… casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.” – I Peter 5:7. Yes, let us be anxious for nothing but in prayer lift up all our supplications and requests to the Lord (Philippians 4) for then we can walk in the reality of verse 4 of that chapter 4: Rejoice in the Lord always [delight, take pleasure in Him]; again I will say, rejoice!
When we find our place in the Lord, we can surely rejoice when the world trembles and the currency trembles and the price of Brent crude oil shakes! It also says in Matthew 7: 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
To continue with how we need to be only fed and sustained by the hand of the Lord, we consider two key miracles performed by Jesus when he took a few loaves of bread to feed the multitude – at one time is was 4000 people and another time 5000.
We read the story of the 5000 in Matthew 14: 19Then He ordered the crowds to recline on the grass; and He took the five loaves and the two fish, and, looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and blessed and broke the loaves and handed the pieces to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20And they all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve [small hand] baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21And those who ate were about 5,000 men, not including women and children.
Take note, from His hands flowed great provision and great abundance! He sustained the crowd because they fed from His hand!
The story is well-known to us, but the Lord never did anything for the mere sake of doing something. Even though he used this miracle to feed the physically hungry, He was making a far greater and deeper statement regarding Him being the Bread of Life. Again how easily do we not forget that Jesus Himself said in Matthew 4:4: 4But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
While it is true that at times we can easily make things too spiritual, breaking away from the practical, but the reverse also applies – sometimes we can be too practical instead of being spiritual! Jesus demonstrated both sides to the coin – that yes, He does provide for us physically and He will look after us, as He said in Matthew 6 (verse 25-34) but we need to remain mindful that the spirit precedes in depth and worth the flesh, and yes, ultimately the Lord will provide for us spiritually.
And such a spiritual sustenance and provision will not only lead us on the right path of wisdom and knowledge, but indeed, without being too practical, the power of His Word and the power of His presence supernaturally will without a doubt provide in all ways. For we are talking here about miracles and signs and wonders that proceed from Him that will not only carry us spiritually but also physically.
In Deuteronomy 8 the Lord already laid down the truth of Him being our provider spiritually and physically, through supernatural and natural means. For it is written in verse 3: And He humbled you and allowed you to hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you recognize and personally know that man does not live by bread only, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.
Glory to God! For the Lord sustains us and indeed provides for, at times beyond our comprehension or logical thinking, and He does it through what He says and through His Word!
You see, we need to operate out of a position where we dwell and abide in the presence of the Lord, for then we operate out of a position of the Blood of the Lamb. And the Blood of Jesus is that one commodity that will outlast all! The Blood of Jesus is that one commodity that will outshine all other materials, all other possessions and all other material treasures! The dollar and the pound and the Euro tremble in the wake of the Blood of Jesus.
By the Blood, we are saved. By the Blood, we are redeemed. By the Blood, we come in the Presence of the Lord to be filled by His fullness and by His Spirit. By the Blood, we find peace, joy, hope and we are content.
So while the world places there hope and strength and joy and future in volatile and uncertain value and worth of currencies and commodities and stocks, we as the children of the Living God can place our hope and strength in the fixed value and worth of The Blood! Yes, we need to feed only from the hand of the Lord, for then we shall catch men for His Kingdom and we shall be provided, sustained, upheld, restored and delivered!
Let our hope be in nothing else but in Jesus, who is the Banner of Light, Life and Love. Yes, we need to allow the Lord to sustain us and uphold us by His Hand. For it says in Revelations 2: 7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’ And also Revelations 2: To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat.
Yes, the Lord still sustains and He will provide, as He provided for the widow in the days of Elijah and the drought. Elijah himself was fed by ravens and the Israelites by manna.
But here is the key to it all – we need to be grateful, cheerful and content with what we receive from the hand of the Lord. The Israelites were fed manna for 40 years. Many were probably hoping for better food during this time, but by the manna the Lord upheld them and kept them safe. Our true contentment, and peace and joy rest in the will of the Lord. And so we must abide in His will and we must submit to His will and receive what He gives by His hand. After all, the Lord knows us, and He knows what we need according to His will.
Let us then not be like the disciples who forgot who the one was who sustains and feeds and upholds all. Let us always keep our eyes on the Lord, for by His hand He shall deliver, redeem, sustain, provide, uphold and save!
