Psalm 121 (NRSV)
I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.
Devotion
Several years ago one of our grandsons was being treated for anxiety. The therapist asked him, “What in your bedroom makes you feel safe and unafraid?” He replied that his (fleece) blanket (“my blankie”) brought him comfort. On the advice of the therapist I made him tiny pocket-sized fleece “blankets” to put in all his pockets, so that throughout the day whenever he felt anxious, he could feel the blankets and be reminded that he was safe and to not be afraid.
Many years ago I bought several “pocket angels” in a gift shop—one-inch tall little wooden angels. From time I time I have given one to someone to put in their pocket as a reminder that God is with them, whatever they are confronting.
As we seek to provide love, hospitality, and service, there are many times when we can do very little to help. The problems being confronted are unfixable, overwhelming, beyond repair. When we pause in our busy lives to serve others and help relieve loneliness and illness and poverty, it is good to remember that God’s faithful presence is with us and with those we seek to serve—now and forever. Sometimes all we can do is be present and remind the recipients of our service that they are not alone.
This Psalm is a wonderful reminder that, in the end, maybe the most helpful gift we can provide is the reminder that God is with us, always, in “our going out and our coming in.”
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, help us remember that your presence is with us constantly and that we do not face life’s ups and downs alone. Thank you for walking alongside each of us throughout our lives.
Betty Douglass