Hands in Pockets

by Tracy Bumpus

Friend: “So what are you going to do?”

Me: “Nothing. There is nothing I can do that will make a difference and anything I do may make it worse so I’m just going to do nothing.”

As a person who is a “fixer” and very decisive, doing nothing is a most difficult thing. It is not in my nature. My analytical brain looks at multiple scenarios and plays each option out like a chess grandmaster.

But doing nothing is doing something. It is waiting on God to do only what HE can do. It is trusting Him that His plan is perfect and on time. It is praying for His will in the situation. It is having faith that what looks out of control and headed for the cliff to me is His perfect plan.

When my son was little, it seemed impossible for him to look at something without picking it up, turning it over and around, and examining it from every angle. I knew early on that he was a hands-on learner who would learn best from doing rather than just hearing or reading. That has remained true all his life. He must experience things to learn from them.

As a youngster, taking him into stores where there were breakable things on the shelves was a challenge. He wanted to pick things up and touch things and that made me very tense. I finally came up with a solution: before we went into a store where there were delicate things about, I would tell him that this store was a “hands in pockets store” and he would have to keep his hands in his pockets while we were in there. I told him he could use his eyeballs to examine things, but his hands had to stay in his pockets. If he could manage that, then there would be a reward of some kind – a piece of candy or a trip to Mcdonald's.

To my amazement, it worked! To this day, if I’m going into a gift boutique or antique shop or similar, I think “This is a hands in pockets store”.

God calls us to “hands in pockets” situations. He calls us to be still and let Him do the handling, and the fixing, and the moving of the chess pieces. He can see all the way to the end of the game, knows what the opponent is thinking, and has the victory already wrapped up. If we will just wait, trust Him, have faith, and believe that He will do what He promises, the situation will be resolved.

John chapter 15 starts with the analogy of the Vine and the Branches. These verses were given to me at a time in my life when, unbeknownst to me, a great disaster was approaching that would challenge me to the very foundation of my being. The Holy Spirit burned into my heart “Abide in me. Wait. Bear fruit.” He led me to this chapter that talks about being connected to the vine and remaining in Jesus.

I clung to John 15:1-17 as the wicked storms blew chaos and upheaval and heartbreak through my life until I could see the dawning of the peace of God on the horizon. When a storm approaches my life, whether it is already on the horizon or still just out of sight, the Lord always gives me a weather warning to batten down the hatches. He assures me that if I keep my hands in my pockets and only watch what He is doing, He will bring me through with nothing broken.

Remaining in the Lord requires a lot of work. While your hands may be balled into fists in your pockets, keep your heart in Jesus. Stay in His Word. Pray for His will. And have faith that He will answer your prayers.