God's Reassuring Hand

"You have enclosed me behind and before,

         And laid Your hand upon me." 

Psalm 139:5

A good rancher will erect fences to hold his livestock. He knows that without them his valuable possessions will wander into danger. If a rancher will take these steps to protect his animals, how much more will our Heavenly Father protect us, His precious children. Unlike manmade enclosures that can be torn down, the invincible God Himself encloses us. He stands before us and behind us. To the left and to the right. But there's more! He not only surrounds us with protection, He also has His hand upon us. In the original Hebrew the description of this word hand is "palm" or "flat of the hand".  Just as a loving father will place the flat of his hand on his child's head or back as he guides him along the way, so our loving Father guides us. Think on that for a moment. God doesn't just build a security fence and then leave us. He stays with us and steadies us with His reassuring hand.