You Are in the Palm of His Hand.

The Word at the Table

I’m Neal Reyes, The Entrepreneurs’ Pastor, and I’m glad you’re at the table. This week I want to sit with you in something real. Not a concept. Not a principle. Something that is actually happening right now to real people in the real world. And I believe that by the time you finish reading this, whether you are in the middle of a storm or you are standing on solid ground, something in this letter is going to speak directly to where you are.

This Week’s Word: You Are in the Palm of His Hand

I was running errands recently, just going about my day, when God placed someone on my heart. I want to stop there for just a second because I think this matters. When God places someone on your heart, do not treat it casually. Do not file it under I should reach out to them sometime. If He drops someone on your heart, you either pray for them right there and then, or you pick up the phone and call. Better yet, do both.

So I picked up the phone and called her. Just checking in, seeing how she was doing. And what she told me stopped me in my tracks.

She said, I don’t know if you heard, but I was released from my position about three weeks ago.

Now, this was not someone who had lost her job because of poor performance. I knew her. I had worked with her. She was a high performer. But the company was going through changes, and her name came up on a list. And just like that, they told her that day was her last.

My heart went out to her immediately. And as I sat with her on that call, I thought about just how many people are in that exact same place right now.

Since the beginning of this year, over 1,600 companies in the United States have announced mass layoffs. Not regular layoffs. Mass layoffs, numbering in the thousands. Just in the tech sector alone, over 120,000 people have lost their jobs, which averages out to nearly 1,000 people every single day. Last year, over 1.1 million layoffs were reported in this country. And those are just the ones that were reported.

I want to say something to you if you are in that number right now or if you know someone who is. I have been there. Not once, but twice. And I want you to know, I understand what it feels like to give everything to an organization. To work evenings and weekends. To answer the phone no matter what. To interrupt family time and stay up late answering emails. And then one day, they call your number. And no matter how strong your resume is, no matter how impressive your background is, that moment can make you feel like you were just thrown away.

And if you have been applying and not hearing back, or worse, getting back an automated rejection within hours telling you that you were not qualified, when you know full well human eyes never looked at your resume, I want you to know that environment is real and it is tough right now. But I also want you to know there is hope.

Because I have been in that place too. And I remember a specific moment when I went before God about it. I was feeling low. Really low. I was asking hard questions. Wondering how I was going to provide for my family. Wondering how I was going to cover the things that needed to be covered.

And I had a moment of complete honesty with Him. I pictured His hand being open and me standing in the very center of it. Tiny and fully exposed. I told Him, Lord, I feel like my whole world is right there in the middle of your palm. And I want you to know that I meant that. I felt vulnerable. Like my entire existence was hanging in the balance, right there in the center of His open hand.

And then I said something that I want to share with you because I believe it will bless you. I said Lord, I feel like my whole world is in the palm of your hand, but even if you decided my time was done, and you were to close your hand and squish me, I want you to know I am still going to trust you and worship you. Because you are worthy. That is how much I love you, Lord.

Now I want to be clear. I said that not because I believed God would do that. That violates His character entirely. He is not a God of judgment and condemnation toward His children. I said it because I was bearing my whole heart before Him. I was telling Him that my love and my faith in Him were not conditional on my circumstances. Even in the lowest moment, He was still God and He was still good.

And that is something I want you to hold onto today. No matter what you may be facing today, or what you have been going through... He is still God. And He is still good. Here are three faith anchors I want you to carry with you.

The first one is this. “The storm did not catch God off guard.” Isaiah 43:2 NKJV says, when you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. He knew the storm was coming before you ever felt the first drop of rain.

The second anchor is this. “Even in the storm, He is still good and He is still God.” He did not promise us there would not be storms. But He did promise us we would not go through them alone. Psalms 46:1 NKJV tells us He is not watching from a distance. He is a very present help in trouble. Right here. Right now. Present with you.

And the third anchor is the one I want you to take into your week. Isaiah 41:10 NKJV says, fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

“He has not given up on you. So do not give up on Him.”

Now I want to make a turn here because I believe what I just said to you about faith applies directly to how you lead as well.

When you are in the middle of a storm or a difficult season, one of the first things that happens is your vision narrows. You get tunnel vision. You can only see what is directly in front of you. The immediate problem. The pressing need. The thing that is on fire right now. And while you are locked in on that one thing, everything else in your peripheral vision starts to disappear.

That is not just a spiritual phenomenon. It is a leadership one too. And it is one of the most dangerous places a leader can operate from.

I teach three types of leadership vision. The first is tunnel vision, the most limited. You only see what is directly in front of you. The second is peripheral vision, where you can see what is straight ahead and also what is coming in from the sides. And the third, and the one every leader should be developing, is 360 degree vision. The ability to not only see what is in front of you and beside you, but to pause, turn around, and examine the full circumference of what is happening in your environment before making decisions.

Here is something I want you to sit with. The higher you climb on the leadership ladder, the wider your view becomes. Think about an A frame ladder. At the bottom, the rungs are wide but your view is limited. The higher you climb, the narrower the rungs get, but the more ground you can see beneath you. That is leadership. As you grow, your perspective expands. But only if you are intentional about developing it.

The leaders who get stuck are the ones who let the pressure of their environment collapse their peripheral vision back down to tunnel vision. They stop looking around. They stop asking what they might be missing. They just react to whatever is right in front of them. And that is where blind spots grow, where culture erodes, where opportunities get missed, and where one decision made in isolation without seeing the full picture can damage an entire organization.

Here is the unlock I want to leave you with. Whether you are in a personal storm and you need to lift your eyes to see that God is holding you in the palm of His hand, or whether you are leading a team and you need to lift your leadership perspective beyond what is directly in front of you, the answer is the same. You have to raise your view.

Stop looking only at what is immediately in front of you. Lift your eyes. God is not watching from a distance. He is right here. And the full picture of what is happening around you is always bigger and better than what tunnel vision will show you.

Take This With You

This week I want you to do two things. First, if you are in a difficult season right now, find Isaiah 41:10 and stand on it. Write it down. Speak it over yourself. He will strengthen you. He will help you. He will uphold you with His righteous right hand. That is a promise you can stand on.

Second, if you are leading a team, a business, a family, or anything else, ask yourself honestly. What are the three areas I have not been paying attention to because they were not directly in front of me? Write them down. Then take one step this week toward addressing one of them. That is how 360 degree vision gets built. One intentional look at a time.

From the Table Last Week

On Champion’s Walk, my faith show that teaches Real Help For Real Hope, I brought you Hope After Job Loss: You Are in the Palm of His Hand. I tackled one of the toughest subjects out there right now with real honesty and real hope. I shared my own experience going through a layoff, not once but twice, the raw moment I had before God where I told Him my whole world was in the palm of His hand, and four faith anchors from Isaiah 43:2, Psalms 46:1, and Isaiah 41:10 that you can stand on no matter what storm you are walking through right now. If you or someone you know has been laid off or is facing a difficult season, this one was made for them. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCE1f8bL4lM&list=PLMPDSgKkGZNvHLzeBuhqHvZhuCSMEQEgV

On The Executive Perspective, my leadership and business show that delivers Real Help For Real Success, I brought you The 3 Types of Leadership Vision: Are You Seeing the Full Picture? I broke down the three types of vision every leader operates with, tunnel vision, peripheral vision, and 360 degree vision, and why developing 360 degree awareness is what separates leaders who grow from leaders who stay stuck. If you want to stop missing what is happening around you and start leading with the full picture, this episode will show you exactly how to get there. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IZ7a9mTFm8&list=PLMPDSgKkGZNuJ-dNFVFCWc3lb7BmJ07mM

Until Next Time

He has not given up on you. So do not give up on Him. And while you are trusting Him with what you cannot see, lift your leadership eyes too. The full picture is always bigger than what is directly in front of you. Keep your faith up and your vision wide. You’ve got this.

This Wednesday on Champion’s Walk, I’m bringing you a fresh word that I believe is going to meet you exactly where you are. Don’t miss it.

Then Saturday on The Executive Perspective, I’m dropping something for the leaders and entrepreneurs who are ready to operate at their next level. This one is going to challenge you to think bigger, lead better, and push past where you are right now. Be there.

I’ll see you at the table next Tuesday.

Neal Reyes, The Entrepreneurs’ Pastor