Unsettling news had reached my ears and was now affecting my sleep. Tossing and turning on my mattress, my mind found it hard to rest so my body could follow suit.
All the “What-if’s” were popping into my mind like hot kernels of corn in a skillet of oil. For all the thoughts, there was no peace because there were no answers. Then I cried out to the Lord to quiet my heart and give me rest.
Being a cat owner, I became aware the furry frame of my cat, Liza, laying tightly against my leg. She gave no room to turn in that direction – not even a half inch! On the other side of me was my sleeping husband. At that moment the Lord brought a verse to my mind that I had read shortly before retiring for the night ~
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.Psalm 139:5
Feeling the pressure of my position as I was lying there, a cat on one side and my husband on the other, I was made aware of what it feels like to be “hemmed in.” Now I could also sense the hand of the Lord upon me as well, giving me a literal object lesson of this verse. As I “toss and turn” with anxious, worrisome thoughts,
God is on the left side,
He is on the right side,
He is above me,
He is “hemming me in.”
There is such security in that place! There’s nowhere else to turn but to the Lord, Who is protecting and comforting. With that precious realization, comes the understanding that nothing can get to me without God’s knowledge. If it touches my life, it has touched Him first and He has allowed it.
I can rest.
I am safe.
So are you, friend. If you are a child of God, He has hemmed you in. He is beside and above. You are safe in His care.
Rest and be still.
I still have no answers, but sleep has come as I’ve remembered His nearness and His care. If you’re “tossing and turning” over an anxious thought, I pray that these reminders will comfort you as they have me. And if you have a cat, you probably already understand the illustration of being hemmed in! God’s nearness is even closer than that!
What is keeping you from resting? Remember that you are “hemmed in” by a God Who loves you!
RefreshHer 