Devotion

Symbols of God: Hands

The Creation Story

Genesis opens with a picture of God at work. In the beginning, God spoke the world into being — light and darkness, sky and sea, land and every living creature — and then, in Genesis 2:7, we read something remarkably intimate: "Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."

The word used for "formed" here is the same word used for a potter shaping clay. It's a picture of hands — careful, deliberate, personal hands — moulding humanity into being. The God who spoke galaxies into existence also knelt in the dust and shaped us, one by one, with the same care a craftsman gives to something precious.

Throughout Scripture, God's hands appear again and again as a symbol of His character:

His hands create — shaping the world and each one of us with purpose (Psalm 139:13-14).
His hands hold — Isaiah 41:10 reminds us that He upholds us with His righteous right hand.
His hands provide — opening to satisfy the needs of every living thing (Psalm 145:16).
His hands welcome — stretched out to gather His children close.

For our students and staff, this is a beautiful truth to carry into Term 3: we are not accidents or afterthoughts. We are formed, known, and held by hands that made the stars and yet chose to shape us individually, with love and intention.

As we welcome new faces this term, celebrate our LSOs, host our friends from Eisugakkan, and step into all that lies ahead, may we remember that the same hands that formed creation are the hands that hold each of us still.

"Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." — Isaiah 64:8

Prayer

Loving God, Thank You that You formed us with Your own hands — carefully, purposefully, and with love. Just as You shaped the first man from the dust and breathed life into him, You have shaped each one of us and given us life and purpose.

Help us to remember that we are not accidents, but Your handiwork. Hold us in Your hands this term — in our new beginnings, our challenges, and our everyday moments. Guide the hands of our staff as they teach and care for our students, and guide the hands of our students as they learn, create and grow.

We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.

Blessings!

Will Wallace

Principal