Ponder the Preposition: Behind

God Is Behind You Haste makes waste, and hurry increases worry.   That seems to be what Isaiah was trying to teach the Israelites: “You shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the guard of Israel will be your rear guard” (Isaiah 52:12). Wherever you go, Isaiah said, you can go in peace.  Why?  Because God not only goes before you, but behind you as well.  He is your rear guard.  Football fans know the importance of the offensive guard, who protects the quarterback’s blind side.  If the quarterback is right-handed, it’s the left guard who is extremely essential.  And vice versa for a left-handed quarterback.  The offensive guard is invaluable; he is the quarterback’s rear guard. Military personnel know the importance of a rear guard.  In battle, they tell each other, “I’ve got your back.” Soldiers can’t see what’s behind them.  Their backsides need eyes. Read Paul’s description of God’s full armor for his soldiers (Ephesians 6:10-20).  Something important seems missing.  There is no armor for the believer’s backside.  Why is this?  It must be because God himself will be behind his people as we fight for him.  We need his protection there as well, for Satan is like a prowling lion, looking for anyone whom he can destroy (1 Peter 5:8). We are supposed to be moving forward in life.  The gates of hell cannot withstand our advancements forward, even in the midst of the coronavirus.  Why?  Because God is behind us.  Ponder the preposition behind.  God promises to be our rear guard, to protect us from what we can’t see or know about.  He sees and knows.  He has our backs! Jesus’s followers should walk with a spiritual swagger.  We don’t need to worry about our backside because God has it.  In every way, every day. How much would our anxiety decrease if we truly believed that God is behind us?