I Shall Never Be Moved
Instability. It is everywhere around us. From homes that have been shattered by mistrust and lost values, to the doubts and temptations that daily assail those that seek to live right before God, the “power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) is set to overthrow us. The course for heaven is a narrow one and the devil knows that to get us one step off the rock is to stage our downfall. He would beguile us with a multitude of “custom-made” deceptions. The cares and troubles of life entangle our thoughts and drag us downward. The temptations of this world tug at us and would, like the wind, carry us along. We need an anchor—desperately. The following scripture was impressed upon me several years ago, but the weathering of time only has proved its enduring qualities. Though this truth is costly to obtain, it has kept me through many storms.—L.E.
I have set the Lord always before me
I’m the one responsible for me. It is my will that runs the engine of what I will do, and the choices I make that direct my course. I can not shove this responsibility on others, neither can I be the propeller of another’s life. None can hold sway in my life without me allowing it. And in the end I will be judged according to my own actions, words, and thoughts. Therefore, what I do is crucial.
I have set the Lord always before me
My action is that of the will. My feelings or the circumstances will not be allowed play in this. To have set is a past action, preceding all I do and say and the decisions I make. It is a determination as well as a yielding position, a self-imposed but self-disposed act. I can fall back on it, yet it must be continually renewed. The object of the setting is what plays the vital role in the results.
I have set the LORD always before me
He who is both my Creator, Redeemer, and Master. All that is good comes from Him, for He is goodness and blessing in His very presence. His overwhelming interest and sacrifice for me is reason enough for my complete trust. He is everything a heart can desire, yet marvelously greater and wiser than human comprehension. Here is my vision to keep going, for He never will forsake. Here is a strength to hold to, for He stands unmovable. Here is something to depend on, for His way alone is best. He crosses my natural man, yet extends the sweetest rest to the soul, for He teaches of a victory that triumphs even over death.
I have set the Lord always before me
With no exceptions. An absolute that is seldom found in the history of a fickle race, we who are so prone to an unstable, undisciplined, feelings way of life. In all ways is to make neither preference of type or time or place, but to do it none the less. When my feelings are dull and uninspired, I will; or my thoughts are fearful in a flutter of what may come, I will; or the mountains and valleys seem impossible to traverse, I will. Though it be loss to me, or gain, I stand aloof of the consequence and stay my course on an “always” that I trust more than myself.
I have set the Lord always before me
First to be considered in all matters. He stands in front of the “me” in life. Dreams held dear, aspirations of attainment, desires for the best, personal interests, and whatever else concerns me must take the hidden place in His shadow. His mind is sought before my own, His perspective is considered superior, and His life become the sole aim. As we set a captain or pilot at the helm of a mission, so is He at the helm of my life. The leader that takes the brunt of all force and opposition, who selects the route and provides the protection and necessities, who holds the responsibility as well as the glory, must necessarily go before.
“…because he is at my right hand, I shall never be moved.” (Psalm 16:8)
Is this your stand? Can you say of yourself, “I determine to have no one but the King of heaven rule my life—He bought me with His life and He’s due to have my all”? It is not only the happiest and most fulfilled way to live; it is the only safe way to live. I mean to press on for that high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Will you do the same?