You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5

When we think about what a hem to a garment does we can better understand what it means to be hemmed in by the Lord. A hemline on a shirt rolls the threads under the fabric and secures them so that they don't unravel the entire garment.

It keeps the warmth of the garment intact and also guides the garment in a protective manner so that no matter how it moves the threads that were once straggling are secured and able to move freely. If we apply this analogy to our relationship with God in this verse we see that God hems us in his spirit so that we will not become unraveled and so that as we go along in our walk of faith that the once ragged edges will be tucked away and protected from causing our destruction.

The second part where it says behind and before I believe this means that behind us God has hemmed us in. Before we came to know him even in some situations where we didn't see him or where we didn't want him, his hand was still on our lives beginning to hem us in. I believe where it says the before part it's to remind us that he has us hemmed in for what is before us - the new challenges and blesses. Looking back at all that has happened in my life, God has opened my eyes to realize the moments when his hand was upon me even when I didn't know it. He shows me as time goes on the way the bad of my past has worked to my betterment.

For so long we all hold on to unnecessary baggage of our pasts and think that the bad has somehow negatively influenced us, but when we remind ourselves God has his hand on our lives and always has and always will we are able to see that all of the bad things the world considers baggage are all of the things that we have overcome to receive our blessings and overcome to be all that we are meant to be.

As we look at each situation in the past we see how God has hemmed us in and the more we affirm the fact that his hand is on our lives, the deeper we see the extent to which we have always been hemmed in and how he has used situations to make us stronger.

When we realize the ways God has shown us him and allowed us to grow, the easier it is to have faith and trust what God has for us in the future. Do not be afraid because his hand is on your life and you are hemmed in by him because he loves you.

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Dear Lord,
Show us the ways we have grown so that we may be better hemmed in to grow even more. We praise you for the wisdom you show us each day and pray you prepare our hearts to see more. Make us hungry for the plan you have for us and guide our steps. Don't let our hearts jump ahead of your plan and help us to embrace the moments we learn by. We thank you for your power and pray that as we grow the changes within us will bring you glory. In your holy name, Amen.