Devotion - Monday, March 23 - Keep the Lord Near to You Always

“I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” - Psalm 16:8

The life of the believer is never set apart from God.  The truth is, God is always before us.  The question is whether we acknowledge Him, and His presence, in all that we do.  In Psalm 16, David states that he “always” sets the Lord “before him,” that is, he always keeps the Lord at the forefront of his mind, and in his heart, in all that he does.  Because he always considers the Lord as being as near to him as his own right hand, he is never not aware God’s presence in his life.  As a result, he will never be shaken.  He is stable in his outlook and approach to life, because he is confident that God is with him and for him.

Concerning Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul explained that “all things were created through him and for him,” and that He “is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:16-17).  God’s Word promises that if you “continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard,” Jesus will “present you holy and blameless and above reproach” before God.  Knowing that Jesus “holds together” our lives and our church for His glory and our good is a great encouragement!  

Whatever your circumstances, remember that the Lord is always near to you.  Even more so, keep the Lord near to you always.

Questions:

1. Reading through other psalms written by David, how do you think he “set the Lord always before him”?
2. In what ways can you practically “set the Lord always before you” in your daily life?
3. By having a continuous mindset that the Lord is “at your right hand,” what daily concerns do you think will be alleviated and what comfort will you experience?