by Linda Veath
I love Psalm 121. It is one of the Songs of Ascent that the Jewish people sang as they made their way to Jerusalem to worship. The Psalmist wrote it to remind them that God was their security, their helper, their keeper. And the Psalm continues to remind us today that God is still our security, helper, and keeper through all our earthly journeys.
The upward climb to Jerusalem could be a dangerous one, and travelers would often look to the hills surrounding them, wondering where their help would come from if they had to face danger. When trouble threatens us today, we too should look up. When we do, we find the same answer the Israelites found on their journey.
My help comes from the Lord Who made heaven and earth.
The Psalmist very simply points us to the Lord. THE MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. The help that comes from our God is not hindered by any other power. Then or now, help comes from the Lord in His way and His time.
He will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The God who kept Israel as the apple of His eye still keeps us and neither slumbers nor sleeps. Standing guard over us, He remains ever watchful and ever powerful. He will keep us from stumbling as we navigate the trials of life.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The Lord is our refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. He preserves us from trouble and shields His children from the dangers of the world. As our constant protection, He never tires of watching over us.
The sun shall not strike you by day nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul.
The evil that lurks day and night shall have no power over us for we have a God who preserves us from all evil, including the evil of sin. And because the Lord has promised to preserve our soul, even our spiritual life is under His protection.
The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth and even forever more.
Covered by the blood of His Son—Our Lord and Savior—Jesus Christ, we are in the safest place we could ever be. So wherever life’s travels take us, we can lift our eyes to the hills and sing Psalm 121. For it is truly a traveler’s song of assurance and joy.