We are hemmed in, with love

Psalm 139:5 “Thou hast enclosed me behind and before,

And laid thy hand on me.”

“...enclosed...” as in the verse quoted above, has the idea of "..hemmed in...” So the verse could read, “Thou hast hemmed me in behind and before....”

The phrase ‘hemmed in” has negative connotations. We hear locked up, held back, prevented from moving and stymied, for example. But "hemmed in” also has a positive meaning. Think: loving protection, for instance.

When we consider that God, who is all knowing, hems us in, we can be sure that it is all positive.

Consider –

God hems us in from behind. He stands between us and our past. He blocks our view, since we are so fond of looking back with regret, unforgiveness, shame, longing etc.

God hems us in from before (in front). He stands before us as a reminder that not only does He alone know the future, but that He holds it in His hand. There is merit and wisdom in thinking and looking ahead, and making plans. Yet, it is not our place to live in the future or worse, to fear it.

God lays His hand on us. We frequently hear the expressions, “Live in the moment” or “Live in the present.” Those thoughts did not originate with man. Obviously, from God’s word, we read of Him calling upon His people to look and see and consider all that He has created. Undoubtedly those are calls for us to take our eyes off the past and the future and to gaze instead at all the “good” works of His hand. It is a call to “live in the present." Since we often fail to do that, God puts His hand on us, causing us to pause and do just that.

In love, He has hemmed us in behind and before, and put His hand on us.

What a blessing!