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AUGUST 5, 2014
My Right-Hand Man |
"I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." Psalm 16:8 (NASB)
I sat on the floor and cried. I felt overwhelmed and so alone.
"Who is going to help me now, Lord?" I whispered.
My assistant and close friend had just informed me she was no longer able to partner with me in my ministry. Circumstances beyond her control made it impossible for her to continue to work alongside me as someone I depended on. No longer there to help me. No longer there to be my sounding board, my prayer support, my "other half" in a very real sense.
I felt like I was losing my right hand.
Have you ever felt that way? As if you are suddenly on your own, without anyone to hold you up?
And yet, God had something He wanted me to learn in that difficult moment.
Just hours earlier, I had spoken to a group of women about the seasons of our lives in which we need to be pruned. I gave the example of how rosebushes need to be pruned. They look choppy after the pruning, but come spring, the roses bloom brighter and more beautifully than ever.
But here I was, being pruned in my own life, and feeling like I was losing my right hand!
God, this doesn't feel like pruning, I prayed. This feels like my right hand is being chopped off! Please God, not her. She's all I have right now. Please don't take my right hand.
Desperate for God's presence and His comfort, I reached for my Bible. Not knowing where else to turn, I opened to the Psalms. Years earlier, my cousin had shared how Psalm 16 comforted her when it came to experiencing loss in her family. I read the Psalm aloud and stopped suddenly after reading verse 8:
I have set the LORD continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
Lord, I prayed, I'm complaining I've lost my right hand, but You are my right hand. You are the One who helps me, counsels me, encourages me. You are the One who never leaves my side.
Dear God, I'm so sorry I didn't see it before. You truly are my Right-hand Man.
I read through the rest of Psalm 16, and smiled at how it ended:
"You will make known to me the path of life; In your presence is fullness of joy; In your right hand are pleasures forever," (Psalm 16:11, NASB).
God was telling me, in my moment of fear and anxiety, that not only was I not alone, but I never would be. Even without my friend to help me. With God at my right hand, there is joy in His presence and pleasures forevermore.
I realized that day there is no one else I would rather have at my right hand.
I got up off the floor and walked out of the room with my Bible in my hand, my head held high and my Right-hand Man at my side.
I have never walked alone in this job yet, I thought to myself. And I never will.
Dear Lord, on those days when I feel cut off from help, encouragement, or support, help me to remember You are the One who is at my right hand. Thank You for being the One who helps me, counsels me and encourages me. Because of Your stability I will never be shaken ... and I will never walk alone. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Isaiah 41:10, "'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'" (NASB)
Psalm 18:35, "You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds me; And Your gentleness makes me great." (NASB)
RELATED RESOURCES:
Do you need the assurance that God is always with you? Give yourself the gift of Cindi McMenamin's new devotional, God's Whispers to a Woman's Heart.
Visit Cindi McMenamin's blog for more encouragement.
Enter to WIN a copy of God Whispers to A Woman's Heart by Cindi McMenamin. In celebration of this book, Cindi's publisher is giving away 10 copies! Enter to win by leaving a comment here, letting us know why you'd like a copy for yourself OR who you would give the book to, if you won. {We'll randomly select 10 winners and email notifications to each one, on Monday, August 11.}
REFLECT AND RESPOND:
In what ways do you feel alone, or without encouragement or support? How could knowing that God is always at your right hand give you the confidence to move forward?
© 2014 by Cindi McMenamin. All rights reserved.
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