The Hand and Heart Principle
Living for the Ultimate Exchange
There are forces at work in the earth.
Small but large in effect.
Invisible but tangible.
They cannot be seen with the natural eye, but the eyes of our understanding, having been enlightened, make us aware of these things so that we may know what is the hope to which God has called us.
These invisible powers are called: Principles.
Yes. You heard me right. Principles.
A principle by definition is a fundamental truth- a law- that serves as the foundation for a system of beliefs or behavior. Principles never change, and they work every time.
The Word of God has thousands of true, eternal, life-transforming principles contained in it that are designed primarily to do one thing: Reveal the truth about who God really is. In other words, the right application of biblical principles causes us to experience God.
As we consider the profound power inherent in principles, I’m reminded of a biblical principle that when I learned it, forever changed how I see the work that I do now and the calling I’ll fulfill later. It’s called: The Hand and Heart Principle. That’s right. The Hand and Heart Principle.
The Hand and Heart Principle teaches us to keep what is in our hands until God gives us what is in our hearts. Hold on to what is currently in your hands until God reveals His timing to receive what is in your heart.
Psalm 78:70–72 demonstrates the Hand and Heart Principle quite well.
The Bible says,
70
He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71
from following the nursing ewes he brought him
to shepherd Jacob his people,
Israel his inheritance.
72
With upright heart he shepherded them
and guided them with his skillful hand.
Did you catch it? David was a sheep herder. A shepherd boy. He governed and guarded a sheepfold. That is the work that was in his hands. But unbeknownst to us, there was a king down in his heart. Imagine it. David worked in those pastures doing a work he had to do, but longing for the work he was called to do. Shepherding must have seemed boring at times. Tedious even. Long days and short nights. But, it’s what was in his hands. And he did not exchange it.
Notice that God reaches down into the seemingly mundane life of a shepherd and pulls out a king. God takes what is in David’s hands and exchanges it for what He put in his heart.
I hear the Holy Spirit saying, “ If we delight ourselves in the Lord, won’t He give us the desires He wants us to have in our hearts?”
God chose David His servant from the sheepfolds and brought him to shepherd Jacob His people.
Oh my brothers and sisters, there is the Hand and Heart Principle!
And therein lies the word of encouragement to our hearts this very day.
Hold on to what is in your hands until God gives you what is in your heart.
I hear you, my sister saying you’re tired of that job, and ready to start your business. The job is in your hands, the business is in your heart.
Notice, God didn’t give David a new set of gifts to be king, He used the gifts he already had. God just poured His anointing on them. You’ve got “natural?”
God’s got some mighty powerful “super” to add to it!
The same way David led a flock is the same way he ruled a nation. You see, God was teaching David how to be a king in that sheepfold; training what was in his hand to prepare him for what was in his heart.
Don’t let go of what is now in your hands until God exchanges it for what is in your heart. Stay on that job. Don’t quit. Remain faithful in your current assignment. Don’t give up. For that is the very thing God is using to prepare you to receive the desire He placed in your heart.
God chose David, and He has chosen you too. To the saints who have a divine desire burning in your heart, but you feel stuck and stagnant with what is in your hands. Jesus was a carpenter then, but He’s building a church now. He was chiseling stone then. He’s handcrafting you and me right now. Hold on my brother. Be steadfast my sister. For God is teaching us the Hand and Heart Principle. And when it is time to release what is in our hands, we’ll find ourselves standing right in the middle of what was always in our hearts.
Now pray!
