“I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken” (Psalm 16:8 ESV).

I love this verse because I need a daily reminder to set the Lord before me. Too often, I allow my schedule to fill my view. It’s difficult to keep focused on spiritual matters when I’m wrapped in my earthly to-do list. I also allow stress to plant itself before me too quickly. I tend to bow to the anxiety of deadlines, messy situations, and heartaches a lot sooner than I do at the throne of God.

Too often we set an ideal before us instead of God. We say that as long as life works out a certain way then we’ll be fine but when catastrophe comes we fall apart. We move God over and we insert something else, anything else. We take our mind off of Heaven and fixate squarely on this broken, messed up world.

Letting anything take the place of God is dangerous. Just ask some old friends like David, Elijah, Jonah, or Moses.

Something wonderful happens when we set the Lord before us. We find his peace. We are filled with that overwhelming stillness that comes from knowing and believing that our father is going to take care of us regardless of what we face. We know that he will work out whatever it is we’re going through in his own time. It may bring us to our knees but that has been known to be a great place to find God and get our priorities straight.

Set the Lord your God before you and remind yourself that he will not let you be shaken.

— by Paula Harrington @ www.forthright.net