I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
To set the Lord always before oneself is to keep Him continually in view and in mind, living aware of His presence in daily communion with Him. His being at the right hand means He stands continually near beside His people as supporter, guide and deliverer, giving strength, comfort and direction in every circumstance. Whoever lives in that conscious presence and reliance is steadied in mind and conduct, kept calm, balanced and unmoved under trial, temptation and persecution. This keeping of the Lord before oneself is maintained through constant earnest prayer and daily union with Christ, which is the defense against temptation and the source of growth in grace and right conduct. The words are also David's prophecy concerning Christ, who kept the Father continually before Him and, upheld at His right hand, was not shaken, then rose from the grave without seeing corruption to give hope of resurrection.
Keeping Lord Always Before
To set the Lord always before is to keep Him continually in view and in mind, living and working with conscious awareness of God and the unseen world in communion with Him. Faith makes His existence and presence real to the soul, so that life is lived as in the presence of the infinite One who witnesses every thought, purpose, word and action and before whom all lies open and manifest. To make Christ the daily, constant companion and to fix the mind upon His character is the meaning of the words, and as the soul turns from exalting self to seek clearer views of Him, ever more of Him is seen, while separation from God shuts out the revelations of His power. Love and fear of God thus safeguard the life and give courage to resist wrongdoing and to separate from those who promote it.
It is a deliberate resolve, with pure motives and an eye single to His glory, to live sincerely before the God who knows every thought. Those who are true and clean in His sight are accepted in the heavenly courts, and reliance on Him brings calmness and balance of mind that steadies and controls the actions. The truly penitent so choose to keep Him constantly before them and to rely on Him, and the knowledge that He examines the heart leads to humility, to walking uprightly, to serving Him without reserve and obeying His law to the end. That resolve strengthens faith and makes Jesus the pattern for every part of life, especially in sacred work where motives are fixed on God's glory, and it issues in circumspect and safe conduct before Him.
Beholding Him with attention fixed on Him and on His glory reveals more and more the beauty of His character and grace, breathing the atmosphere of heaven and making the soul strong in spiritual power. By beholding Him the beholder is changed into His image, with confidence that God is at the side so that the believer will not be moved. This ongoing attention is renewed through searching the inexhaustible truths of salvation and through studying Christ's character for its transforming effect.
The psalm defines the character of those who possess Christ's character and represent Him in the world, a character formed through diligent obedience to God's commandments and faith in Jesus Christ and in God's promises. Keeping Him before tests daily choices, as in the choice of amusements, where youth and all are to ask whether an activity will so absorb the mind that they forget God or cease to keep His glory before them. It means using entrusted time for His glory rather than letting precious hours pass in uselessness, and relying on Him in using and developing abilities so as to cultivate judgment, avoid serious mistakes, and do work thoroughly rather than carelessly. Parents are to keep the Lord before their children and teach them to love God and do His will, living with continual regard for Him and following in His footsteps in gratitude.
God At The Right Hand
To be at the right hand means to be continually near, at the side, in daily companionship that gives security. It means constant support, strength and comfort, so that no circumstance and no distance can separate from Christ, who upholds wherever a person is. His love for the redeemed never changes, proved by giving His life on the cross to give grace and power, so that those who cry for help can trust Him to reach out and save. Keeping Him thus before the mind and trusting Him brings His help, and people may walk and speak with Jesus as they go about daily life.
The One at the right hand is the heavenly Comforter, the Holy Spirit, always present wherever a person is or goes. At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing and a person feels helpless and alone, He is sent in answer to the prayer of faith. Though circumstances may separate from every earthly friend, no circumstance and no distance can separate from Him. He remains to soothe, support, sustain, uphold and cheer, so that the person stays steady and is not shaken.
The Lord stands continually beside His people as guide, counselor and deliverer, giving counsel and direction for the way to walk. His power and presence surround them continually, even in the most trying circumstances, so that trust and obedience give a confidence that is firm and abiding when confidence in people is shaken. Keeping this awareness before the mind guards against living by one's own plans without regard to God. Jesus leads the humble, earnest, whole-hearted seeker along the narrow, royal path to holiness and heaven, so that those who follow Him fully are not left to stumble in darkness.
He stands at the right hand ready to give help, strength, efficiency and power in every emergency. Keeping Him in view and relying on Him rather than on self gives confidence and steadiness in the work. Recognizing Him at the right hand by keeping Him continually in view and relying on His presence and help guards against spiritual coldness and supports a flourishing faith. This includes the unseen help of good angels, who stand beside people, observe their works and needs, and carry their concerns before God.
Moses exemplified this endurance and patience, keeping the Lord before him and living with a constant sense of His presence and help. The Lord at his right hand gave strength not merely to resist evil passively but to persevere in the right because God was present to help him. Seeing Jehovah thus at the right hand and relying on His presence at the side gives strength and courage to remain steadfast, working with spiritual vigor and a confident heart even under burdens. When people place themselves where they can work out His purposes, He stands at their right hand and opens ways for them to advance.
Steadfast Through Trusting Presence
Keeping the Lord continually before the mind and relying on His presence and support gives steadiness, calmness and balance of mind that governs actions, so the heart is glad and the one who speaks will not be moved or shaken. Keeping God constantly in view brings rest in Him rather than being ruled by self, for a life ordered after Christ belongs with a transformed, wholehearted devotion to God. The faithful follower anointed by the Holy Spirit and entrusted with sacred work looks to God as support and remains unmoved, with heart glad, glory rejoicing and flesh resting in hope. Remembering that God sees keeps faith alive and shapes the whole life after Christ so that one stands firm and is ready to meet Him, which is the abiding confidence of a life in which Christ is present in the heart and revealed in the life. The counsel to keep the Lord ever before the mind is a call to seek guidance from the God of Israel.
That steadiness and sufficiency are found in Jesus by those who have no sufficiency in themselves. For Christ's laborers this means trusting Jesus as counselor and depending on Him rather than on their own sufficiency or on finite human judgment and help, walking with God and seeking counsel and wisdom from Him. Every laborer for Christ may depend on Jesus for sufficiency, counsel, wisdom and strength, and God will help those who seek Him in faith and humility. Christ is to be with believers at every step, and growth in grace, joy and usefulness depends on daily, continual union with Him. Christ stands at the believer's right hand to help in forming a perfect character, so that what God commands can be done through His strength as the human will cooperates with His will.
This trust keeps believers unmoved when called to make any sacrifice, looking to heaven and valuing it above life itself rather than surrendering a sacred trust. Even when friends and relatives persecute, forsake or betray them for doing Christ's work, they need not be discouraged but remain faithful in duty, knowing that God examines the heart and takes pleasure in uprightness. Because Jesus is at their right hand and God is continually beside His people, they can trust Him through temptation and discouragement regardless of how others judge or treat them. In that trust they overcome through the blood of the Lamb and the word of personal testimony despite discouragement or unfair treatment.
Prophecy Of Christ Resurrected
This declaration is part of David's prophecy concerning Christ, taken up by Peter as testimony to establish Christ's position before his hearers. The words speak of Christ rather than of David himself, for David died and his tomb remained. Peter applied them to Jesus to show that Jesus was raised by God and not held by death.
Christ kept the Lord continually before Him, and with the Lord at His right hand upholding Him He would not be moved or shaken. This confidence belongs to Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. In prophetic vision David saw Christ's life and ministry, including His rejection, death, resurrection and exaltation, even His ascension to God's right hand.
The words that follow foretell the resurrection, that Christ's soul was not left in the grave and His body did not decay. The Holy One did not see corruption, for Jesus was raised by God and was not held by death. The verse thus belongs to a promise of confidence in God through death and hope in the resurrection, so that the righteous who die may rest in their graves expecting Christ to raise them when He comes.
Transformed Life Through Communion
To keep the Lord always before the face is to live in unbroken communion with Him, holding fast to Him by constant prayer. That prayer is the defense in every place of temptation, and when communion with Him is broken that defense is gone. Good intentions alone cannot make a person withstand evil, so dependence must be maintained by prayer that is earnest, persevering and constant. It is to be offered both spoken on the knees and silently while alone, while walking, or while working.
It means having Jesus by the side and serving Him rather than self. Selfish, impatient or discourteous conduct proves the lack of it, while abiding in Christ and being filled with His Spirit produces right conduct in every circumstance. Such a life makes a person a blessing and a light to others. He and heaven can be kept in mind even while doing daily work, for God is present beside those who trust in Him and ready to help in every time of need. Living and working with awareness of God and the unseen world, guarded by love and fear of God, gives courage to resist wrongdoing and to separate from those who promote it.
For a physician who works among the dying, this continual connection with God and influence of the Spirit, lived in constant awareness of Him and dependence on Him, is the only safety from becoming indifferent to eternal things or falling under temptation. Physicians must keep the Lord continually before them and carry the light of life wherever they go. Otherwise Satan can use even their scientific knowledge to lead them astray. Keeping the Lord continually before oneself is the right course required of leaders, and failure to do it brings reproof, as seen in the criticism of General Conference leaders for not doing so.
Strength For Work And Trials
God is the strength of those who consecrate themselves wholly to His soul-saving work, standing beside them to help carry out His merciful designs. He stands ready at the worker's right hand to aid every sincere effort toward the highest moral and spiritual excellence, and those who know their need of help can rely on this aid as they work with Christ in saving souls and advancing in the divine life.
His presence at the right hand means help, support, and sustaining power that brings strength and success in practical labor. God was at Dr. Kellogg's right hand during difficult operations, guiding his hand and giving success when prayer was offered for the patients before operating. Other physicians who wholly yield themselves to God can likewise trust His help in their work.
Having the Lord at the right hand means relying on His counsel and serving Him faithfully. With God thus beside him, Brother Miller would have returned from America to work for God's cause with greater knowledge, hope, faith, and courage. The Lord would have delighted in him and blessed him and his wife because they feared and honored Him.
Taking time to go to Jesus and tell Him all things makes believers stronger, because He comforts and encourages them and stands at their right hand so they are not disappointed and are not moved. Living this requires more simplicity and trust and confidence in the Saviour.
To set the Lord always before oneself is to keep Him continually in view and in mind, living aware of His presence in daily communion with Him. His being at the right hand means He stands continually near beside His people as supporter, guide and deliverer, giving strength, comfort and direction in every circumstance. Whoever lives in that conscious presence and reliance is steadied in mind and conduct, kept calm, balanced and unmoved under trial, temptation and persecution. This keeping of the Lord before oneself is maintained through constant earnest prayer and daily union with Christ, which is the defense against temptation and the source of growth in grace and right conduct. The words are also David's prophecy concerning Christ, who kept the Father continually before Him and, upheld at His right hand, was not shaken, then rose from the grave without seeing corruption to give hope of resurrection.
Keeping Lord Always Before
To set the Lord always before is to keep Him continually in view and in mind, living and working with conscious awareness of God and the unseen world in communion with Him. Faith makes His existence and presence real to the soul, so that life is lived as in the presence of the infinite One who witnesses every thought, purpose, word and action and before whom all lies open and manifest. To make Christ the daily, constant companion and to fix the mind upon His character is the meaning of the words, and as the soul turns from exalting self to seek clearer views of Him, ever more of Him is seen, while separation from God shuts out the revelations of His power. Love and fear of God thus safeguard the life and give courage to resist wrongdoing and to separate from those who promote it.
It is a deliberate resolve, with pure motives and an eye single to His glory, to live sincerely before the God who knows every thought. Those who are true and clean in His sight are accepted in the heavenly courts, and reliance on Him brings calmness and balance of mind that steadies and controls the actions. The truly penitent so choose to keep Him constantly before them and to rely on Him, and the knowledge that He examines the heart leads to humility, to walking uprightly, to serving Him without reserve and obeying His law to the end. That resolve strengthens faith and makes Jesus the pattern for every part of life, especially in sacred work where motives are fixed on God's glory, and it issues in circumspect and safe conduct before Him.
Beholding Him with attention fixed on Him and on His glory reveals more and more the beauty of His character and grace, breathing the atmosphere of heaven and making the soul strong in spiritual power. By beholding Him the beholder is changed into His image, with confidence that God is at the side so that the believer will not be moved. This ongoing attention is renewed through searching the inexhaustible truths of salvation and through studying Christ's character for its transforming effect.
The psalm defines the character of those who possess Christ's character and represent Him in the world, a character formed through diligent obedience to God's commandments and faith in Jesus Christ and in God's promises. Keeping Him before tests daily choices, as in the choice of amusements, where youth and all are to ask whether an activity will so absorb the mind that they forget God or cease to keep His glory before them. It means using entrusted time for His glory rather than letting precious hours pass in uselessness, and relying on Him in using and developing abilities so as to cultivate judgment, avoid serious mistakes, and do work thoroughly rather than carelessly. Parents are to keep the Lord before their children and teach them to love God and do His will, living with continual regard for Him and following in His footsteps in gratitude.
God At The Right Hand
To be at the right hand means to be continually near, at the side, in daily companionship that gives security. It means constant support, strength and comfort, so that no circumstance and no distance can separate from Christ, who upholds wherever a person is. His love for the redeemed never changes, proved by giving His life on the cross to give grace and power, so that those who cry for help can trust Him to reach out and save. Keeping Him thus before the mind and trusting Him brings His help, and people may walk and speak with Jesus as they go about daily life.
The One at the right hand is the heavenly Comforter, the Holy Spirit, always present wherever a person is or goes. At all times and in all places, in all sorrows and afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the future perplexing and a person feels helpless and alone, He is sent in answer to the prayer of faith. Though circumstances may separate from every earthly friend, no circumstance and no distance can separate from Him. He remains to soothe, support, sustain, uphold and cheer, so that the person stays steady and is not shaken.
The Lord stands continually beside His people as guide, counselor and deliverer, giving counsel and direction for the way to walk. His power and presence surround them continually, even in the most trying circumstances, so that trust and obedience give a confidence that is firm and abiding when confidence in people is shaken. Keeping this awareness before the mind guards against living by one's own plans without regard to God. Jesus leads the humble, earnest, whole-hearted seeker along the narrow, royal path to holiness and heaven, so that those who follow Him fully are not left to stumble in darkness.
He stands at the right hand ready to give help, strength, efficiency and power in every emergency. Keeping Him in view and relying on Him rather than on self gives confidence and steadiness in the work. Recognizing Him at the right hand by keeping Him continually in view and relying on His presence and help guards against spiritual coldness and supports a flourishing faith. This includes the unseen help of good angels, who stand beside people, observe their works and needs, and carry their concerns before God.
Moses exemplified this endurance and patience, keeping the Lord before him and living with a constant sense of His presence and help. The Lord at his right hand gave strength not merely to resist evil passively but to persevere in the right because God was present to help him. Seeing Jehovah thus at the right hand and relying on His presence at the side gives strength and courage to remain steadfast, working with spiritual vigor and a confident heart even under burdens. When people place themselves where they can work out His purposes, He stands at their right hand and opens ways for them to advance.
Steadfast Through Trusting Presence
Keeping the Lord continually before the mind and relying on His presence and support gives steadiness, calmness and balance of mind that governs actions, so the heart is glad and the one who speaks will not be moved or shaken. Keeping God constantly in view brings rest in Him rather than being ruled by self, for a life ordered after Christ belongs with a transformed, wholehearted devotion to God. The faithful follower anointed by the Holy Spirit and entrusted with sacred work looks to God as support and remains unmoved, with heart glad, glory rejoicing and flesh resting in hope. Remembering that God sees keeps faith alive and shapes the whole life after Christ so that one stands firm and is ready to meet Him, which is the abiding confidence of a life in which Christ is present in the heart and revealed in the life. The counsel to keep the Lord ever before the mind is a call to seek guidance from the God of Israel.
That steadiness and sufficiency are found in Jesus by those who have no sufficiency in themselves. For Christ's laborers this means trusting Jesus as counselor and depending on Him rather than on their own sufficiency or on finite human judgment and help, walking with God and seeking counsel and wisdom from Him. Every laborer for Christ may depend on Jesus for sufficiency, counsel, wisdom and strength, and God will help those who seek Him in faith and humility. Christ is to be with believers at every step, and growth in grace, joy and usefulness depends on daily, continual union with Him. Christ stands at the believer's right hand to help in forming a perfect character, so that what God commands can be done through His strength as the human will cooperates with His will.
This trust keeps believers unmoved when called to make any sacrifice, looking to heaven and valuing it above life itself rather than surrendering a sacred trust. Even when friends and relatives persecute, forsake or betray them for doing Christ's work, they need not be discouraged but remain faithful in duty, knowing that God examines the heart and takes pleasure in uprightness. Because Jesus is at their right hand and God is continually beside His people, they can trust Him through temptation and discouragement regardless of how others judge or treat them. In that trust they overcome through the blood of the Lamb and the word of personal testimony despite discouragement or unfair treatment.
Prophecy Of Christ Resurrected
This declaration is part of David's prophecy concerning Christ, taken up by Peter as testimony to establish Christ's position before his hearers. The words speak of Christ rather than of David himself, for David died and his tomb remained. Peter applied them to Jesus to show that Jesus was raised by God and not held by death.
Christ kept the Lord continually before Him, and with the Lord at His right hand upholding Him He would not be moved or shaken. This confidence belongs to Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. In prophetic vision David saw Christ's life and ministry, including His rejection, death, resurrection and exaltation, even His ascension to God's right hand.
The words that follow foretell the resurrection, that Christ's soul was not left in the grave and His body did not decay. The Holy One did not see corruption, for Jesus was raised by God and was not held by death. The verse thus belongs to a promise of confidence in God through death and hope in the resurrection, so that the righteous who die may rest in their graves expecting Christ to raise them when He comes.
Transformed Life Through Communion
To keep the Lord always before the face is to live in unbroken communion with Him, holding fast to Him by constant prayer. That prayer is the defense in every place of temptation, and when communion with Him is broken that defense is gone. Good intentions alone cannot make a person withstand evil, so dependence must be maintained by prayer that is earnest, persevering and constant. It is to be offered both spoken on the knees and silently while alone, while walking, or while working.
It means having Jesus by the side and serving Him rather than self. Selfish, impatient or discourteous conduct proves the lack of it, while abiding in Christ and being filled with His Spirit produces right conduct in every circumstance. Such a life makes a person a blessing and a light to others. He and heaven can be kept in mind even while doing daily work, for God is present beside those who trust in Him and ready to help in every time of need. Living and working with awareness of God and the unseen world, guarded by love and fear of God, gives courage to resist wrongdoing and to separate from those who promote it.
For a physician who works among the dying, this continual connection with God and influence of the Spirit, lived in constant awareness of Him and dependence on Him, is the only safety from becoming indifferent to eternal things or falling under temptation. Physicians must keep the Lord continually before them and carry the light of life wherever they go. Otherwise Satan can use even their scientific knowledge to lead them astray. Keeping the Lord continually before oneself is the right course required of leaders, and failure to do it brings reproof, as seen in the criticism of General Conference leaders for not doing so.
Strength For Work And Trials
God is the strength of those who consecrate themselves wholly to His soul-saving work, standing beside them to help carry out His merciful designs. He stands ready at the worker's right hand to aid every sincere effort toward the highest moral and spiritual excellence, and those who know their need of help can rely on this aid as they work with Christ in saving souls and advancing in the divine life.
His presence at the right hand means help, support, and sustaining power that brings strength and success in practical labor. God was at Dr. Kellogg's right hand during difficult operations, guiding his hand and giving success when prayer was offered for the patients before operating. Other physicians who wholly yield themselves to God can likewise trust His help in their work.
Having the Lord at the right hand means relying on His counsel and serving Him faithfully. With God thus beside him, Brother Miller would have returned from America to work for God's cause with greater knowledge, hope, faith, and courage. The Lord would have delighted in him and blessed him and his wife because they feared and honored Him.
Taking time to go to Jesus and tell Him all things makes believers stronger, because He comforts and encourages them and stands at their right hand so they are not disappointed and are not moved. Living this requires more simplicity and trust and confidence in the Saviour.