There are some word pictures that have been bringing me encouragement and peace and yet I feel like I am only scratching the surface of them. They can be seen in Psalm 139 and Isaiah 52: You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. (Ps 139:5) For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. (Isa 52:12) The phrase “You hem me in, behind and before”, means that God completely surrounds us. And in the context of this verse, it suggest guarding a valuable object. The phrase “and lay your hand upon me” points to the Biblical picture of the laying on of hands. The laying on of hands was a significant act, often associated with blessing, commissioning, or imparting authority. In this case, it represented the hand of God bringing blessing by directing and sustaining. The phrase “for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will b...