Hemmed In
By Lisa Boyer
“You hem me in - - behind and
before.”
Psalm 139:5a (NIV)
While praying for a friend of mine, one Bible verse kept coming to mind… “You hem me in - - behind and before.” That verse had me so convinced of God’s goodness, I was literally excited about how God was going to protect her in the midst of her situation. I just knew that everything was going to be all right, even if it didn’t appear to be all right; God was in complete control... my friend was “hemmed in” no matter what. First chance I got, I shared the good news of that verse with her!
A few weeks later, I was pouring my heart out to this same friend about a potentially life-changing health situation I was facing. The situation threatened to overwhelm me, but my friend so sweetly reminded me that I was “hemmed in.” In the midst of my circumstances, I hadn’t thought to apply that verse to myself. But she was right…I was “hemmed in” by the same loving God who hems her in!!! And it’s not dependent on what’s happening. Just because negative circumstances come into our lives, it doesn’t mean we are no longer “hemmed in.” We are always “hemmed in,” no matter how the situation looks from the outside; God is in complete control at all times.
I was so thankful that God had sent her to remind me, but He didn’t stop there…He illustrated it for me, as well!
I was driving home on a two-lane highway when debris began flying into my lane from under an oncoming semi. I immediately slowed down and began pulling off the road, but avoiding the flying debris was impossible. Both the car in front of me and behind me also pulled over. We all got out to inspect the damage. The car in front had a huge gouge in his now-flat front tire. The front grille of the car behind me had been split into two by flying debris. My car was...well, fine. God had hemmed me in - - behind and before...and on the sides!
The first thought that came into my head was that if God could protect me during such a minor incident, He could easily have protected me from the health situation I was facing, but He hadn’t. He chose to allow it into my life. Knowing that before this situation reached me, it had gone through my loving God’s approval process filled me with peace. He hadn’t protected me from it, but I have no doubt that He’ll protect me during it!
GOING DEEPER:
1. If the circumstances of life have caused you to forget that you are “hemmed in,” will you spend some time today with your loving God and let Him remind you?
FURTHER READING:
Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 34:7; 2 Corinthians 12:8-9
