Limp Hands

It might be theologically wrong but I think the Bible was written 100% by God and 100% by man. The 100% by God would explain the power of the Word, its infallibility and that the words of the book itself are proven by the book itself. The fact that God deigned to use man to pen the words is a wonderful example of God’s partnership with man, for the 100% man-written The language of the day when it was translated gives us some wonderful phrases, as in Zephaniah 3:16, ‘Do not fear, Zion, do not let your hands hang limp.’ Wonderful!

From the content it seems the hands hang limp through fear. Nothing was being done because of overwhelming anxiety. But there are other reasons for limp hands and my thoughts immediately flew to the idea of limp hands through leprosy. The hands are one of the first parts of the body to be affected by this disease, causing the hands to become claw-like and useless. Medical science has made great advances with reconstruction but often the hands are too damaged to become useful.

Another reason can be laziness and idleness. My mother used to tell me ‘Those who don’t work can’t eat.’ With my large appetite, the phrase ensured I was never lazy. Hands can be kind or cruel but the best example of kind hands belong to Jesus, ‘Jesu’s hands were kind hands.’ the chorus tells us. Lord, we pray, keep us from limp hands for whatever reason..