His hand

Last night I was remembering an incident that happened on Sunday. I was sitting in church when I felt this hand on my shoulder. In my mind I saw this hand - strong but gentle, and very tanned - and I knew it was God. It was comforting, reassuring. I realized last night that when I imagine God's touch, I always imagine it coming from behind me. I imagine Him coming up behind me and hugging me. I feel Him at my back. That seemed odd to me until I remembered how I dealt with some of the children in Ghana. When I would guide them, I would stand behind them with my hands on their shoulders and manipulate them . I thought about how when I imagine God in front of me, I have to follow Him. It puts the burden on me to move myself after Him, which is against everything God has been showing me lately. But now, I see Him in front of me, but feel Him behind me guiding me as I follow. I thought "behind and before" - that sounds like a Bible verse. So this morning I looked it up.

You hem me in - behind and before,
you have laid your hand upon me.
-Psalm 139:5

I expected the first line, but the second line took me off guard.