Welcome to Hello Thursday Morning‘s devotion. As promised, every third Thursday will feature a devotional writing by one of my friends.

Beautiful Hands

By Harriet E. Michael 

Read: Isaiah 52:6-9

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” Isaiah 52:7(NIV)

“You have beautiful hands. Are you a hand model or something?” The question came from a lady working at Wal-Mart’s Money Center. I was there to wire money to a pastor friend in Africa.

The recipient of the money is a native pastor who lives and works amid adversity the likes of which I have never experienced. The money I was wiring was a gift from my mother’s women’s mission group. My role was nothing more than errand boy. I wired the money simply to help my mother. But as I handed the money across the counter, this woman paid me a compliment.

I looked down at my hands. They used to be pretty – long slender fingers with strong nails. But that was many years ago. In the past few years, I have developed arthritis in my fingers. And though I still try to make my hands attractive by painting the nails, my joints are swollen and two of the fingers bend quite noticeably.

I held my hands up and commented on my arthritis as I thanked the lady just the same. She said she had not even noticed until I pointed it out to her. I remembered God’s word, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” I smiled as I left Wal-Mart, because I knew the reason my hands looked pretty today.

Prayer: Oh Lord, make our hands and feet beautiful in your sight. Make them to eagerly work to bring the good news of your salvation to the nations. In Your Son’s name, Amen.

Thought for the day: God makes everything beautiful in its time.