Psalm 121 (NRSV)
1I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.
Devotion
Psalm 121 is a psalm of confidence and a celebration of God’s care and protection as one travels on a journey.
We are all on a journey throughout our lives. Sometimes the journey is pleasant and pleasing and at other times our journey is dark and rugged. What is our source for confidence to face the headwinds of life or simply be comfortable in knowing that God is with us?
Verses 1-2: This psalm was sung by travelers on their way to Jerusalem. As their eyes were looking up to the hills that surrounded Jerusalem, they asked, “from where does our help come?” And the answer arrives that our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. We too look up for a helper on our journey and God is there.
Verses 3-4: God is our protector – always. He keeps us from falling and does not slumber or sleep. He never even gets distracted. You can pray to him at any time, and he always focuses on you and hears you. Because God is awake YOU can sleep. Whatever problem we are dealing with we can leave it in God’s hands and go to sleep at night knowing He will take care of us.
Verses 5-6: He protects and stays close as we journey on our path of life. During blistering heat, dangers at night, a day fraught with difficulties and everything in-between the Lord is our “keeper” and is present to help us with every problem in our lives. He takes our right hand and stands as our protector.
Verses 7-8: In these two verses we are given promises for the future, telling us what God will do for us. God doesn‘t say we will never have problems, but he promises to be with us in our problems. Evil will never win out. God’s purpose for our lives stands firm and nothing can separate us from God’s love. The last verse is a forever promise. God is watching over us now, and he will continue to watch over us forever.
Psalm 121 is a wonderful song for our journey. We do not need to worry or be afraid of anything. God is with us, and we can trust him in all things.
Prayer
Gracious God, remind us that we are not alone on our life’s journey. You meet us just where we are as our Helper, Protector, and Guardian. You are with us. Your right hand leads us and holds us fast. We praise You and sing Your name. Alleluia. Amen.
Virginia McCormick