The words "underneath are the everlasting arms," found in Deuteronomy 33:27, are comforting and reassuring.

"Underneath" provides protection from falling. Almost everything bad in our lives involves going down. Faith, relationships, health, security, etc., are all good when high, but what if we fail or fall? Who or what is our security net?

We don't know much about what it means for something to be everlasting. Everything we see is temporary-it's getting old, wearing out, changing, going away, being taken, etc. We cannot comprehend "everlasting," but it is very good to know that we have an eternal, everlasting God who has always been and always will be.

This phrase, "underneath are the everlasting arms," would not have the personal application without "arms." An arm is a symbol of strength. Arms are what we hold with, hug with, etc. Hands can carry diverse meanings, but arms give the idea of snug and secure.

In context, the writer Moses is describing something about God: "underneath are [His] everlasting arms." Moses is talking to Israel about Almighty God. The entire sentence declares, "The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."

This can be an abstract phrase. How can we get our head around this concept? God is Spirit; He is other. We have not seen Him, heard Him, smelled Him, felt Him, or tasted Him. Faith is required. We must believe that God is, and that truly He is for us.

There is a similar passage in Romans 8 that gives us another handle on the secure caring of God. Here it is the "love of Christ" that is pictured as our undergirding security.

Paul declares, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (v. 35). He then goes on to say, "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (vv. 38-39). Paul seems to strain language to impart the thought that there is no way possible for those in Christ to be separated from Him.

We all know that life is temporary. Our next breath is in God's hand. We also know that everything visible that we are trusting in can be taken away in an instant.

As a matter of fact, Paul says this in verse 36: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." It doesn't get any more tentative than being a sheep. Sheep are herded, watered, sheared, etc. It seems like they never get an independent moment, yet they are also never out of sight or out of the care of the shepherd.

Life is a blur, full of twists and turns. We do not get a road map, so we are not sure of the course, but we do know whose arms are underneath, always bearing us up. And, as the old song says, we can and should lean on those everlasting arms.