God is Before and Beside Us

This morning I was reading Psalm 16, which is one of my favorite psalms.  Specifically, I was concentrating on verse 8.


8 "I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."


I was meditating on the imagery of God at my right hand. At first, I thought it a bit wrong, as that would indicate that i was in the seat of authority, with the Lord at my right hand. However, as I did some research, reading a few commentaries, I saw how this is actually an accurate representation of how we live our lives. In the domain of our lives, we have free will and do control our choices, and in this domain we sit on the chair of authority. God will never usurp our free will, but will willing guide us, direct us, give us council, and protect us, but He will not override our free will.


Its interesting that in this verse God is both before him, and at His right hand. In other words, its like God is blazing the trail for us to walk in, then helping us walk in that path, guiding us and directing us. Lord help me to keep my gaze focused on You, and my ear constantly open to Your guidance and direction.

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I see in my mind the image of when a child is first learning to walk, one of the parents in front of the child with arms open wide, encouraging the child to walk towards them. The other parent gentling supporting their child, helping them to balance and take a few steps, always right by the child's side in case they stumble or waver. Its not to control the child but to help the child grow, and gain freedom.


Or to put in Paul's words from his letter to the Philippians:


Phil 3:12-14


¹² "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."


Amen, help me Lord.