He's Got Us

You hem me in--behind and before; ~ Psalm 139:5

My favorite poem has always been Footprints. It tells the story of God walking through life with the speaker and how there were always two sets of footprints in the sand--one belonging to the speaker and one to the Lord. But then the speaker was disturbed to discover that during the harshest and most painful times in life, there was only one set of footprints in the sand. The speaker felt very hurt and abandoned. But the Lord said, When you saw only one set of prints, it was then that I carried you." The Lord promised to never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

In Psalm 23, David (the author) talks about how the Lord never leaves him, but rather leads him: "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters...He guides me in paths of righteousness," (vv 2-3). Even in the scary, hard, and painful times, as David recounts walking "through the valley of the shadow of death," he knows that he's not alone. He says, "I will fear no evil for you [God] are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me," (vv 4). The shepherd's rod is used for protection, but it's also the mark of authority. The shepherd's staff is his source of support. So we have God's protection, His authority, and His support with us at all times. That is why David said, "they comfort me."

When you reflect on the hard times of your life--or if you are walking through one of those hard times now--what do you see? The facts may be that we see only one set of foot prints in the sand. They truth is those prints belong to the Lord, because He's carrying us through. God's got us completely surrounded, we're hemmed in, and protected on all sides.