HEM

verb: circle, surround, enclose  

You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5 ESV 

I am not a seamstress by any stretch of the imagination. I have a hard time stitching in a straight line, and nothing I sew seems to stay together. The fact that my husband uses duct tape (I’m not kidding) to “hem” his athletic pants might be the best indication that sewing doesn’t go all that well at our house.

So, we have paid–several times–for a professional to hem our nicer clothes that need strong and even edges. A hem that won’t just unravel or come undone in the next wash. One that holds, that lasts.

This Psalm got me thinking about how God so powerfully yet tenderly takes care of us by hemming us in. The One who designed every brilliant star in the sky, every unique grain of sand, every intricate cell in our bodies, takes special care to surround each one of his children with a strong and lasting hem.

He doesn’t do this to constrain us or restrict us, but to keep us safe.

He doesn’t do this to force us to be close to him, but to reassure us that he is close to us.

He doesn’t do this to shrink our world, but to free us to open up to the adventure of life with him.

But I wonder if maybe what we need to know even more than the fact that we are surrounded on all sides by our loving and protective Father-God, is that he lays his hand upon us. Not only does he create a border of safety and love around us, but he reaches out his hand and places it on us.

I love the way Matthew Henry describes this in his commentary on Psalm 139:

“Perhaps it is an illusion to the physician’s laying his hand upon the patient to feel how his pulse beats or what temper he is in. God knows us as we know not only what we see, but what we feel and have our hands upon…”

So when I feel worn (because life is overwhelming)

And when I feel imperfect (because I can’t do it all right)

And when I feel ripped apart (because there is so much sadness in the world)

And when I feel like I am unraveling (because my emotions and thoughts are too much),

I will remember that Jesus holds me together. Whether I can feel him or see him or hear him doesn’t matter, because I can trust that he hems me in. The God who created me goes ahead of me and also watches my back. He knows every detail of what is ahead for me and what has happened in my past. He knows what I need right at this moment, and he provides it faithfully, powerfully, and mercifully. And he puts his hand on me with calming assurance and love.

INVITE HIM IN

Can you picture this? A baby, sleeping peacefully on a beautiful, soft, homemade blanket. The edge of the blanket–the hem–is perfect and strong and surrounds the baby on all sides. Imagine now that you are the baby and the blanket is God encircling you, protecting you, and knowing you. Let him hem you in behind and before and place his loving hand on you today.