Jeff Adams

I truly look forward to our Tuesday night prayer ministry as much as anything, but last night was special to be able to sit in our new lobby, enjoy some great brew from Portico that now opens at 6:00pm on Tuesdays, and just chat with people. I’m thinking this is going to radically change our church culture for the better.

Del has been a member of our church for a long time and has a fascinating story. In 1982 he was involved in a near fatal car/train accident that left him in a coma for weeks. If he recovered, no one expected him to be able to walk again. God and Del had an encounter, along with a great support team of family and church. It wasn’t long before Del was walking and talking. To this day, his walk and speech are greatly labored, but he has been able to live better than many people who function fully. God provided a loving wife, great kids and they are now even grandparents.

Some months ago Del began losing strength on his right side, a condition diagnosed as Brachial Plexopathy with no known cause. As you might imagine, he was very concerned. Del is a big man and very powerful. His grip can normally crack cast iron pipes. I’m not a particularly small guy myself, but Del has always loved to give me a hug by squeezing the senses out of me while lifting my up off of the floor and resulting in a full chiropractic adjustment.

Some months ago he asked the pastoral team to pray for him, which we gladly did. It’s not perfect, but over time he is gaining more strength on his right side. Last night he asked to give glory to God for this progress. He did a fine job and everyone was thoroughly blessed. Afterward, in another segment of prayer, he asked me to pray once again for his right arm.

As we prayed, a phrase we commonly use flashed through my mind. We often say, “I’d give my right arm for ___.” Such a statement reflects the value we place upon the right arm (apologies to all the lefties out there, but you get the idea). That thought brought real compassion to my heart as I thought of my friend Del struggling to think of moving forward in life with a right arm diminishing in power.

This morning I was doing my daily Bible reading in Psalm 118 when the following phrase leaped off the page three times in verses 15 and 16 – the right hand of the Lord. I can’t ever remember that phrase hitting me with the same impact, not because of the context of Psalm 118, but the context of having just prayed with Del. The exact phrase  right hand appears 161 times in the Bible, most of them referring to God’s right hand.

Look it up. You might be surprised. God’s right hand is filled with righteousness and eternal pleasures. By his right hand he saves us, sustains us, rescues us and teaches us among other things.

Whether we are afflicted like Del, or have full use of our right hands, the psalmist has some good advice. With or without strength, we should make him our strength. Or, as the psalmist says, to put him at our right hand.

I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Psalms 16:8