Welcome to week 7!
So sorry these posts are late! With a computer crash and Internet issues, I’m still catching up! Thank you for being here and if you need any of the past posts from our Summer in the Psalms series, find them all here 🙂
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
A few years ago, some friends and I hiked Cowles Mountain in San Diego. It was my first time on any sort of hike and as I saw the mountain all I could think was, “How am I going to climb this?!”
We might not find ourselves facing a literal mountain today but the circumstances we’re facing may sure seem hard to climb. If you need help today, grab hold of these truths from Psalm 121:
God is Creator v.1
In creation, God shows His mighty power. He created all things and we can trust that He is creating (moving and working in our own lives). If He can create a mountain, surely He can move one! I love this from Ruth Chou Simmons,
“Our promise and assurance isn’t that we will climb pain-free, but that our lives (disappointments, heartaches, trials, and mundane moments) are all in His hands. The same God that formed a mountain with jagged and crumbling rocks and earth, is the same God that causes wildflowers to spring up in the midst of them.”
God Never Sleeps v.3-4
The fact that God never sleeps is really amazing. He never tires out. He’s never “done.” We never have to worry that He has a closed eye towards us. He is constantly, every moment of every day, watching over us. So much so that no matter how rocky the ground we step on or how steep the path may climb, He will not let our foot slip. He is so close, so watchful, and so ready to help us.
God Protects v.5-8
He protects us vigilantly. I know we often do get hurt in this world. But we can rest assured that we will never be beaten by it. We actually may fall but we keep going. He shades us from the heat of the day, keeps us from all harm, and watches our coming and going now and forever. This means that no matter how hot the heat of life gets, He is our umbrella, shading us from the damage that heat would bring. He does this every day, constantly, from the beginning of our lives until the end.
Our Response
This month felt like I was climbing all uphill with no end in sight. Driving in my car, I started to think on this psalm and this post that I was planning to write. Dealing with a computer crash, work issues, hormonal drama, and just day to day craziness of life I thought, “It says God is our helper. How does that pertain to all of this? How do I practically apply this to life now?”
I believe the answer is in the beginning of the first verse: I lift my eyes up.
This is an action I choose to do. I don’t look down in despair or in feeling sorry for myself (which I was doing). I don’t look to myself for how I can handle the situation. I don’t look around me for answers. I look up. I look to God. Corrie Ten Boom says it well:
Isn’t this so true? The more we focus on our situation, the more overwhelmed we tend to get. Fear sets in. Worry hangs around. Stress climbs aboard. We wonder, “How am I going to climb this?!”
But when we lift our eyes, our focus changes. We focus less on the path we’re climbing and more on Who is climbing with us. We all know He never said it would be easy, but He did promise He would never leave us. When we have the Creator with us, watching over us and protecting us, suddenly the mountain doesn’t seem so large. And, we may even be able to see those wildflowers, the beauty that can bloom during the climb.
Friend, if you’re facing a mountain today, look up. It’s not always easy to keep looking up, but let’s hold tightly to the promises God gives us, focus our gaze on Him, and keep climbing. And remember, He is right there with you.
Reflection Question
Is there a mountain you are facing today? How can you lift up your eyes to God today?
Challenge
Memorize Psalm 121. You can do it! It is only eight verses and in the midst of trials and mountains that we have to climb, we can recall these truths to help us. Grab the free printables below to help you memorize this beautiful psalm.
**Grab your FREE printables HERE!! Let’s memorize PSALM 121 together!**
–