God is, and all is well

"The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand." Psalm 121:5

The LORD is - The Psalmist mentions this twice in verse 5. The LORD - this is Jahweh, the Self-existent One, the Eternal One. God is, and all is well !

Your keeper - It's personal. But what is a keeper? The Hebrew word means to hedge about, as with thorns; to guard or protect. God puts a thorny hedge around you, to keep out the enemy.

Your shade - We all know how refreshing it is to stand in the cool shade of a tree on a sweltering hot day. To my amazement, I found that the word 'shade' occurs only once in the Bible. The Hebrew translates it as defense , as in 'to hover over'.

Excuse me for being visual, but do you get the picture? The guys are pinned down by enemy fire. Just at the crucial moment of desperation the gunship arrives. As the helicopter hovers overhead, spraying the enemy with fire-power, the guys scramble aboard and are airlifted to safety. You are one of the guys. What is your gratitude level, at that moment?

Maybe a weak illustration, but are we not engaged in a very real battle - the battle between good and evil? This verse paints a picture of God hovering over us as He defends us from Satan, our enemy. He spreads His shadow of defense over us.

Your right hand - Right, in the Hebrew, denotes the stronger, more dexterous. Biblically, the word "right" is quite an in-depth study. It often depicts God's favor, as in Zechariah 3:1 "…and Satan standing at his (Joshua's) right hand to oppose him." Satan wanted to crush Joshua's strength, his connection with God.

Or Luke 1:11 "Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him (Zacharias), standing on the right side of the altar of incense." This angel brought good news.

Your right hand is symbolic of your connection with God.

Go into this day, knowing the Eternal God is overhead, and you are safe in His shadow.