Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. Isaiah 59:1 NIV 

When I was a kid, I would pester my mother with questions until she would exasperatedly say, “No more questions until tomorrow!” Of course, that night I might try throwing in a last-minute question about God to prolong bedtime—something like, “Mama, what does God look like?”

When a friend once asked me, “Does God have arms?” I responded, “Yes!”  There are at least 40 biblical references to the “arm” or “arms” of God. God’s arm is used to symbolize strength and power, as when Jeremiah wrote, “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm.” (Jeremiah 32:17)

The arm of God is also said to have provided our salvation that came through Jesus.  (Isaiah 52:10) But there’s more; when we are in need, we can call on the strong and powerful arm of God that the Bible says, “is not too short” to meet any of our needs (Isaiah 59:1).  The arm of God is not only mighty to save, it also holds us securely. What a beautiful picture Isaiah 40:10-11 gives us of Jesus’ tender arms; “His arm shall rule for him. . . . He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom.”

God doesn’t have human hands or a physical form.  Jesus said: “God is Spirit” (John 4:24). But He is, indeed, mighty to save us and longs to hold us securely when we come to Him.

 

Resource Reading:  Isaiah 40:9-11