Psalm 16:8

^{(Today’s post is part of a series on Psalm 16. You can find all the posts on my Psalm 16 page.)}

 

I have set the Lord always before me.

Because He is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.  – Psalm 16:8 (NIV)

 

Set – placed, put in that spot

Lord – Yahweh

Before – in front of; ahead of

Right hand – a symbol of God’s divine blessing, favor, protection

Shaken – fall, slip, slide; scared, unsteady, uncertain

 

In this verse, David says he puts God always before him.

He is telling us he keeps God first and foremost in his heart and mind, and in his life.

 

David knows God is walking with him through life (at his right hand).

He knows that because of this He doesn’t have to feel unsteady or scared.

He knows he won’t stumble.

David can look to God for strength, courage, and comfort.

 

An important part of our faith walk is setting the Lord always before us.

To do that means to put God first – to give Him first priority in all things.

It means to focus on Him first and foremost. in everything we do and ahead of everything we love and care about.

We put God in front of us so we can constantly see and look to Him.

Doing this causes us to be closer to Him and to see that He is always with us.

It allows us to look to God for His protection, wisdom, and guidance.

 

To have God at our right hand means He is walking beside us and is there for us.

The phrase, “at my right hand”, is used in the Old testament to mean divine favor, blessing, protection, power.

So, having God with us means we are in a place to receive these things.

 

Does this mean we’ll never sin again?

Does it mean we won’t ever be scared or unsure?

No – as humans we do look away from God from time-to-time.

When this happens we slip or stumble.

Having God at our right hand means is if we will keep God first – stay focused on Him – He will walk with us, helping us to fall less and He will help us get back up when we do slip.. .

 

Putting God before us is a conscious choice we must make every day, sometimes every minute.

The result is that He is at our right hand, walking with us.

Because He is always right with us, we do not have to be scared, unsteady, or uncertain.

Instead, we can be calm and confident that He loves us, He wants what’s best for us, and He will always help us.

Always.

 

 

Yet I am always with You; You hold me by my right hand.
²⁴You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory.
²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. – Psalm 73:23-25 (NIV)

 

 

To see all the posts I’ve shared in this series, please visit my Psalm 16 page.

 

To learn more about what a Psalm is, please visit my post, What is the Book of Psalms?