Wherever the President of the United States goes, he always has secret service agents going before him and behind him. They will go into places before he arrives to scout it out, looking for possible threats. When he walks down the road, these trained men go before him and behind him, protecting him at all costs. For the president, the enemy can approach from any direction.
When Pearl Harbor was attacked, they didn’t know it was coming. The enemy came in the early morning hours of a Sunday, when many were still sleeping. By the time they realized what was happening, the enemy was already upon them. That’s what this verse is speaking about. Our enemy will use whatever tactics he can to get to us, even surprise attacks from behind. But we are so valuable to God and He loves us so much that He goes before us and behind us. Other translations say that He “hems us in.”
He sees way ahead… He sees the enemy coming… the boldness, the ruthlessness, the anger. He knows that he will do whatever is necessary to get to us. But God is before us and nothing can get past Him. One historian said that that the walls around Babylon were 80 ft. thick. In fact, when the enemy came to attack them, they had to go under the ground because there was no way they would break through those walls. Your enemy can’t even go underneath to get us because God is there.
He sees what’s behind us… He sees the enemy coming up in a surprise attack. He thinks, “They’ll never see me coming.” Well, we don’t, but our God does. That’s why He also goes behind us. This verse speaks of the incredible power of God and how He protects His own. Take a moment today to look for the ways you see God protecting you. And then focus on that today. Hope this encourages you.