Psalms For Moms: Grace For The Good Girl

The lovely and gracious Emily Freeman has granted me permission to share excerpts from her book Grace For The Good Girl as my Psalms For Moms posts throughout the month of October. So each Wednesday in October, you'll be hearing from Emily. Thanks Emily for sharing with us!

Psalm 37:3,Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

On Friday I have a devotion running at Proverbs 31 that's going to go into this more so I had to share this post this week. I was amazed when I saw Emily going into something that I'd also been pondering and had written about. I loved the points she made.

Here's what she had to say:

One of my favorite pictures of safety in Scripture comes from Psalm 139:5-6, where David says, "You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it."

Imagine a day when you are overwhelmed beyond what you thought you could ever bear. Perhaps you just discovered a loved one is sick. Or you have a child who is living contrary to what you know is good for her. Or your husband just lost his job. Maybe you are simply having one of those days where you woke up in a funk. The house is a wreck, the laundry is piled high, the fridge is empty, it's raining. And you feel fat. Maybe you don't have to imagine. Maybe you're living that day right now.

Sometimes on those days, it helps to remember that God has enclosed me behind. That means everything in my past-- every situation, circumstance, pain, fear, and longing I've ever had-- He has been a barrier between those things and me. The Hebrew word translated as "behind" is also used in Scripture to mean "west." And He has enclosed me before, meaning forward, front, or everlasting. It can also mean "east." East and west are opposites forever. They have no beginning, no ending, and they never meet one another. He covers my yesterday and He holds my tomorrow. Still, this present moment is where I live. What about today?

He has enclosed me forever in the past and forever in the future. And then He lays His hand upon me in the great right now. The New Living Translation says it this way: "You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head." Imagine a hero who not only leads the way but also brings up the rear and holds your hand all at the same time. I can't imagine a safer place than that.