YBR moments

You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. – Psalm 139v5

This marvellous psalm of encouragement continues with a beautiful picture of God's guardianship of His people. In the depths of his despair Job could not see God before him or behind him or on his right hand or left. Despite not sensing God's presence Job decided to trust God anyway.

David had a different perspective but the result was the same. We are going to see more later, but here David rejoiced in the fact that God had hedged him about with His divine protection.

Life can be scary. It can be like walking down an unknown trail where we have no idea what is around the next bend. Just picture Dorothy with Scarecrow and the Tin Man walking down the Yellow Brick Road and singing ‘Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, Oh My.’

We all have those ‘Yellow Brick Road’ (YBR) moments. But we have Someone with us though who protects us and hedges us from the lions, and tigers, and bears (oh my).

‘You have hedged me behind and before’ David wrote. He knew that as he went down his own YBR God was walking before him and behind him. He didn’t have to worry about the lions, and tigers, and bears (oh my) because his ‘Hedger’ was stronger than any of them.

The verse does not stop there. ‘…and laid Your hand upon me.’ As we go down our YBR we can rest in assurance that God hand is own us. I picture His hand on my shoulder guiding and protecting me. With that kind of confidence I don’t have to be afraid when a lion goes ‘to and fro seeking whom he may devour.’