Hands Up! You're Surrounded!

Thoughts pop into my head at the strangest times, and they often seem to come from nowhere, but I know that isn't the case.  I'm convinced this one came from the Lord.  Jason and I have been reading and discussing in our nightly devotions about meditating on the things of the Lord outside of devotion time and church services. You know what I mean?  Where you take a verse or a thought and you chew on it and chew on it and chew on it some more throughout the day.  Well, I guess that's what I was doing when this thought occurred to me, and I got such a blessing from it that I just had to share it.

I was reading in Deuteronomy 31:8 which says, And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.  I was meditating on the part that says the Lord will go before me.  My mind immediately thought of the many hiking trips Jason and I have taken together and how I prefer him to walk slightly ahead of me.  First of all, his vision is better than mind, so he can spot danger, such as snakes and other wild animals, and take action or direct me around it.  Second, he can clear the path.  His feet trod down a lot of the tall grasses and briers, and his face and torso catch most of the spider webs.  

These thoughts brought a smile to my face as I realized that God does the same for me when He goes before me.  When I allow Him to take the lead, He steers me around the danger and clears the path for me.  Not only that, but the Lord is my light, so He also illuminates my path.

As if that weren't enough to chew on for a while, another verse popped into my mind.  Although at the time I couldn't remember the exact reference, I remembered the phrase from a verse in Isaiah that said something to the effect of "and ye shall hear a voice behind thee saying, This is the way; walk ye in it."  For the record, the verse is Isaiah 30:21 which says, And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.  Notice it says "a voice behind thee."

After chewing on this verse for a few moments, I came to a realization--I'm surrounded.  Surrounded by God.  Surrounded by angels. Surrounded by love.  Surrounded by strength.  Before me, behind me, to the right and to the left.  There is no where I can go to escape God's presence.  There is no where I can turn without running into His grace.  I'm hemmed in by His mercy.  He smothers me with His blessings and encompasses me in His arms.  So I decided the chew on that for a while, but before I could, another thought invaded my mind.

Because I'm surrounded on every side, that means I'm also protected on every side.  Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, can get to me without going through God first.  If He allows it to pass, then it must be for my good.  But if it's something harmful, it doesn't stand a chance of getting through.  I am sheltered in His mighty hands as He sends trouble scurrying with His words, "Go away.  This child is mine."  Man, I'm getting goosebumps all over again.

That's the great thing about meditating on the Word of God.  You start off with a word or phrase, a mere snack.  But before you're through, you're bursting at the seams.  That's where the "hands up" part of the title comes in.  If you can meditate on a passage and not end up lifting your hands in praise to the Lord, you must be doing it wrong.  God is so good, and when you spend some time chewing on His promises, it will bless your socks off!  Don't believe me?  Try it and see.  I guarantee you there's nothing like it.