Ps 16:8
8 I have set the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
NIV
I find the beginning of this verse a little odd. I
mean, truly, who can "set" the Lord anywhere? He is vast, timeless, ageless,
uncontainable...Where will you
"set" such an entity?
But truth is, we each choose what we will
do with the Lord. Will we accept or
repel Him? Will we lift Him up in our
own hearts? Will we magnify or diminish
Him? No matter what we "do" with
Him, it will not change Him one iota.
What his placement changes, is us. If we set Him before us, it
means that we follow behind Him. It indicates
that we choose to place Him in the central place in our lives.
People cannot change the Almighty no
matter what they do. He is God.
But if we choose not to acknowledge
Him, we limit the benefits that we enjoy based on our relationship with Him.
Here, David reflects on the fact that
he will not be shaken. I don't know
about you, but there are times in life, that I feel the earth rumble under my
feet. Trembling begins at my feet and
begins to tiptoe its way up to my knees.
But I cannot be utterly shaken, because my feet are firmly planted on
the rock which is Christ Jesus. He is
the perfect foundation on which to build
any house. This foundation is firm and
secure. This foundation meets all
safety requirements for outlasting a
storm, even of hurricane proportions,
regardless of the category. This Rock
will not be moved. Not by fear. Not by lack.
Not by an uncertain future. Not
by unrelenting stress.
David acknowledged that the Lord was
at his right hand. Not in the sense that
God was his right-hand man who carries out his bidding. Rather, here, being at the right hand
signified His position of honor, authority, and strength. As we set Him in his rightful place, our life
begins to come into a place of equilibrium and balance.
Are you out of balance today? Are you
afraid that you will be shaken? Cling to
the Rock which will sustain and protect
you!
O, Lord, I need you to undergird me. Make my steps firms. Protect me from falling or failing. Establish my
steps. I need you to be God in my
life, because I am over my head without
you. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
