As I have studied the scriptures lately the mention of "hands" has really stood out to me. I have found there is a depth and significance in this reference to "hands", and it has increased my testimony of the love the Savior has for each and every one of us.
My very favorite scripture is Isaiah 49:16 which says, "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." This scripture makes it so evident to me how much Christ loves us, because He always carries us with him. Even in his perfected resurrected body, He carries the marks of the crucifixion in His hands, feet, and side. We are so much apart of Christ, and all He has to do is look at His hands to remember us, for "I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands."
One of my favorite parts in the Book of Mormon is Christ's personal ministry among the Nephites. After Christ introduces himself as the the "light and the life of the world" He asks them to "Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world (3 Nephi 11:14) ."
"And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come. (3 Nephi 11:15)
His hands are evidence of the love He has for each of us. This scene in the Book of Mormon touches my heart every time I read it. Christ is so aware of each and every one of us, and we can learn about his love for the "one" as we learn about him in the scripture and come closer to him.
The prophet Mormon pleaded to his brothers, and friends to remember the kind, loving, relationship Heavenly Father wants to have with His children. He says, "Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God?" This call beckons us to remember who is watching over us, and guiding us. Elder W. Craig Zwick of the Seventy explained what we can learn from Christ's hands.
“Hands are one of the symbolically expressive parts of the body. In Hebrew, yad, the most common word for hand, is also used metaphorically to mean power, strength, and might Thus, hands signify power and strength. To be in the hands of God would suggest that we are not only under His watchful care but also that we are guarded and protected by His wondrous power. Throughout the scriptures, reference is made to the hand of the Lord. His divine assistance is evidenced over and over again. His powerful hands created worlds, and yet they were gentle enough to bless the little children. Every one of us needs to know that we can go on in the strength of the Lord. We can put our hand in His, and we will feel His sustaining presence lift us to heights unattainable alone. How do we learn to extend our hand and connect to the comfort provided by the Lord? Imagine the wounds in His hands. His weathered hands, yes, even His hands of torn flesh and physical sacrifice, give our own hands greater power and direction. It is the wounded Christ who leads us through our moments of difficulty. It is He who bears us up when we need more air to breathe or direction to follow or even more courage to continue. If we will keep the commandments of God and walk hand in hand with Him in His paths, we will go forward with faith and never feel alone”
The hands of Christ remind of His suffering for each of us, the love he has for the individual as he let the Nephites touch them "one by one", and that we will never be alone. We always have a hand to hold and to guide us. I am so grateful that Jesus Christ loved me enough to suffer and atone for me. I have felt his guiding hand in moments of darkness, bringing me to the light. I love Him. I know He loves each of us. I invite each of you to watch this video and pay special attention to His hands. I know Jesus Christ loves and knows us personally, and extends His hands to all. I hope that we might follow His example, and lend a helping hand to those around us.
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