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  • Writer's pictureSew for Christ

Psalm 90:17 - Warm Hands


These finger-less gloves are knit out of acrylic worsted yarn from the Dollar Tree with 6mm needles. I improvised the pattern myself based on the recipient's hand measurements. The embroidery is done with similar yarn and a chain stitch after the knitting.


I knit these as a Chanukah present for my sister. She's always loved finger-less gloves. She uses them for mobility when outside in the cold but also inside as improvised oven mitts for hot cups out of the microwave. In both situations, her hands being out of a certain temperature range renders them useless. Too cold and she can't use her fingers' dexterity outside, such as using her phone. Too hot inside from holding a heated mug and her hands will sting. There's an obvious golden zone of usefulness where, using these gloves in these situations, she's able to get done what she wants to do.


Why do I make this point? Obviously, this is the use of gloves; it doesn't need to be explained. What can we learn from this? Prosperity and success happens in certain golden scenarios, not in upset extremes.


Psalm 90 shows us a similar process. The entire psalm is fantastic, I recommend reading it in its entirety. This psalm is not a song like the other songs. Instead, it's specifically a prayer made by Moses. Scholars believe that this prayer was created by Moses after God denied the adult Israelites entrance into the Promised Land, instead only allowing the young and the future generations into their inheritance. With that in mind, we can see a definite pattern in this prayer.


Moses first recognizes God's sovereignty and omnipotence (v. 1-6). Then Moses acknowledges their sin, that they've wasted their opportunity and angered God (v. 7-11). Finally, Moses asks for forgiveness and God's presence back in their lives (v. 12-17). The final verse is as such:


"Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us. Establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands." (Psalm 90:17 TLV)


There's a pattern: recognize, honor, and repent. Then with forgiveness comes blessings and prosperity. With God's wrath upon them, the works of their hands would've been essentially useless. Moses recognizes how futile it would be without God's blessings. He knows the power of God's favor.


With God's favor, the people would be "consumed by [God's] anger and terrified by [His] wrath" (v. 7) and "all our days have passed away under [God's] wrath" (v. 9). With God's favor and forgiveness: "Satisfy us in the morning with Your love, so we may sing for joy and be glad all our days."

Prosperity and success happens in certain golden scenarios, not in upset extremes. When in God's wrath, the works of our hands are meaningless. Under His forgiveness and covered with His favor, we are joyful and He establishes the works of our hands. Luckily, with these gloves, it'll be the works of some nice and warm hands. Just as cold hands are useless, being without God's favor turns the works of our hands into useless dust.


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