Swaddled
“You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.”
Psalm 139:5 NIV
“You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.”
Psalms 139:5 NKJV
“You have enclosed me behind and before, And [You have] placed Your hand upon me.”
PSALM 139:5 AMP
“Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.”
Psalms 139:5 KJV
Hemmed in. Hedged in. Enclosed. Beset. I bet that's how babies feel when we swaddle them up tightly. There is no safer feeling for them than to be swaddled up in a warm blanket, with the hand of his/her parent on their head. They are completely surrounded and completely safe in the arms of the one that loves them most.
This Psalm gives us a beautiful picture of our position with our Heavenly Father. Our Daddy is not so far away like some may think. He is not distant and hard to get close to. He is but a breath away as He leans His Face in closer to ours and kisses our cheeks - like one holding a swaddled baby in their arms. We are wrapped up, hemmed in, enclosed, and hedged by His loving Protection.
Who can harm us then? Who can say we are vulnerable to attack? Who can say that we have been left as orphans? No one. Abba has made sure that His little ones are not just being looked after from above, but are tightly secured in His Blanket and being held close to His heart.
Are you feeling insecure today? Are you feeling unsure of the Love of the Father? Are you questioning your position in Him? Are you wondering if He is even near by?
Be reassured of this: God has never abandoned His children and He never will. He has never left His babies. He is a Good Daddy, a Trustworthy Daddy. He is not prone to error like our earthly dads. He can be counted on to be there when we need Him because He never leaves. He is always there, swaddling us up in His arms and placing His Hand upon us.
And yet...
There is another angle to this swaddled reality.
Some of us know exactly how this feels - the frustration of not being able to move forward with the things you have in mind to do. It's not the enemy blocking you. It's not the results of your bad choices. It's actually the Hand of God, Himself that is besetting you. When the funds aren't there to see your vision come to pass. When one unfortunate thing after another happens that delays your forward momentum. When things, simply out of your control, trip you up and make you feel like you are spinning your wheels... It's then we must stop and consider that we are being hemmed in by God - not to frustrate us, but to protect us and keep us centered in the Will of God.
And as we squirm in His arms to break free, we can feel Him move us even closer to Himself. He understands our restlessness as He whispers, "Huuussshhh. Rest, my sweet one. For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. I am enough for you. And I promise, I will carry you in my arms to where you need to go."
Psalm 139:5 NIV
“You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.”
Psalms 139:5 NKJV
“You have enclosed me behind and before, And [You have] placed Your hand upon me.”
PSALM 139:5 AMP
“Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.”
Psalms 139:5 KJV
Hemmed in. Hedged in. Enclosed. Beset. I bet that's how babies feel when we swaddle them up tightly. There is no safer feeling for them than to be swaddled up in a warm blanket, with the hand of his/her parent on their head. They are completely surrounded and completely safe in the arms of the one that loves them most.
This Psalm gives us a beautiful picture of our position with our Heavenly Father. Our Daddy is not so far away like some may think. He is not distant and hard to get close to. He is but a breath away as He leans His Face in closer to ours and kisses our cheeks - like one holding a swaddled baby in their arms. We are wrapped up, hemmed in, enclosed, and hedged by His loving Protection.
Who can harm us then? Who can say we are vulnerable to attack? Who can say that we have been left as orphans? No one. Abba has made sure that His little ones are not just being looked after from above, but are tightly secured in His Blanket and being held close to His heart.
Are you feeling insecure today? Are you feeling unsure of the Love of the Father? Are you questioning your position in Him? Are you wondering if He is even near by?
Be reassured of this: God has never abandoned His children and He never will. He has never left His babies. He is a Good Daddy, a Trustworthy Daddy. He is not prone to error like our earthly dads. He can be counted on to be there when we need Him because He never leaves. He is always there, swaddling us up in His arms and placing His Hand upon us.
And yet...
There is another angle to this swaddled reality.
FRUSTRATION
Have you ever seen a baby that was tired of being swaddled? He will wiggle and squirm as he feels the confinement of being hemmed in behind and before. He wants to move. He wants to go. But his safety blanket keeps him from doing so.
Some of us know exactly how this feels - the frustration of not being able to move forward with the things you have in mind to do. It's not the enemy blocking you. It's not the results of your bad choices. It's actually the Hand of God, Himself that is besetting you. When the funds aren't there to see your vision come to pass. When one unfortunate thing after another happens that delays your forward momentum. When things, simply out of your control, trip you up and make you feel like you are spinning your wheels... It's then we must stop and consider that we are being hemmed in by God - not to frustrate us, but to protect us and keep us centered in the Will of God.
And as we squirm in His arms to break free, we can feel Him move us even closer to Himself. He understands our restlessness as He whispers, "Huuussshhh. Rest, my sweet one. For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. I am enough for you. And I promise, I will carry you in my arms to where you need to go."
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