Tag Archives: psalm 121

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Look Up!

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Read: Psalm 121

Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 1-3; Acts 2:1-21

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. —Psalm 121:2

In a park near our home there’s a trail I enjoy walking on. Along one section there’s a panoramic view of red sandstone rocks in the Garden of the Gods with the majestic 14,115-foot Pikes Peak behind them. From time to time, though, I find myself walking that section occupied with some problem and looking down at the wide, smooth trail. If no one is around, I may stop and say aloud, “David, look up!”

The psalms known as “Songs of Ascents” (Ps. 120–134) were sung by the people of Israel as they walked the road up to Jerusalem to attend the three annual pilgrim festivals. Psalm 121 begins, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence comes my help?” (v. 1). The answer follows, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (v. 2). The Creator is not an aloof being, but a companion who is always with us, always awake to our circumstances (vv. 3-7), guiding and guarding our journey through life “from this time forth, and even forevermore” (v. 8).

Along life’s path, how we need to keep our eyes fixed on God, our source of help. When we’re feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, it’s all right to say aloud, “Look up!” —David C. McCasland

I look up to You, Father, for You are the One who can help me. Thank You for the joys and trials in my life right now. I’m grateful that I never walk alone.

Keep your eyes on God—your source of help.

INSIGHT: This psalm reminds us that God is our Helper (vv. 1-3) and Keeper (vv. 4-8). As Helper, the Creator of the universe (v. 2) assists us as we journey through life, giving us the security and stability (v. 3) we need. As Keeper, God is the vigilant watchman, fully aware of the events of our lives because He never sleeps (v. 4). This reality allows us to rest in safety and serenity (Ps. 3:5; 4:8; Prov. 3:24).

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Look To The Hills

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Our Daily Bread

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. —Psalm 121:1-2

Atop Corcovado Mountain overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, stands Christ the Redeemer, one of the tallest statues of Christ in the world. Standing 30 meters tall, with arms spreading 28 meters, this sculpture weighs 635 metric tons. It can be seen day or night from almost anywhere in the city. One look to the hills brings this figure of Christ the Redeemer into view.

The New Testament tells us that Christ is not only the Redeemer, but He is also the Creator of the universe, and that Creator is in view in Psalm 121. There the psalmist challenges us to lift our eyes to the hills to see God, for our “help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth” (vv.1-2). He alone is sufficient to be our strength and to guide our steps as we make our way through a dangerous and troubled world.

We lift our eyes to the One who keeps us (v.3), guards us (vv.5-6), and overshadows us in the face of all types of danger. He preserves us from evil and keeps us safely in His care for all eternity (vv.7-8).

In faith, we lift our eyes to the One who is our Redeemer and Creator. He is our help and our hope and our eternal home. —Bill Crowder

O God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Our shelter from the stormy blast,

And our eternal home! —Watts

Christ was lifted up that He might lift us up.

Bible in a year: Job 41-42; Acts 16:22-40

Insight

The superscription for Psalm 121 is “A Song of Ascents.” This designation is actually given to the collection of psalms that includes Psalms 120–134. Called “a psalter within the psalter” by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, these songs were sung by Jewish pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem for the three primary feast times of the year. The reason for calling them songs of “ascent” is that Jerusalem is the highest point in Israel, so people going to Jerusalem were always going up.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Winding Road

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Our Daily Bread

Psalm 121

He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. —Psalm 121:3

In his book A Sweet and Bitter Providence, John Piper offers these thoughts about God’s providence and guidance: “Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven. Life is a winding and troubled road. . . . God is not just showing up after the trouble and cleaning it up. He is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and for the glory of Jesus Christ.”

The Jews journeying to Jerusalem for the annual feasts (Deut. 16:16) had the assurance of knowing that the Lord was plotting their course and managing the winding and troubled roads for them. They expressed this assurance in Psalm 121, a pilgrim song. The question, “From whence comes my help?” did not express doubt but affirmation in the Lord who rules supreme (vv.1-2). Unlike a guard who sometimes slumbered, or the god Baal who needed to be rustled out of his stupor (1 Kings 18:27), the Lord was fully alert and secured the journey of His people with providential care (vv.3-4). The Lord, who rescued Israel, would continue to help, preserve, and walk with His people.

Life is a winding road with unknown perils and troubles, but we can be certain of God’s providence, security, and care. —Marvin Williams

Dear Lord, sometimes life seems to be full of

perilous and winding roads. Thank You for giving

us the assurance that You have our course plotted

and are watching over our every step.

Troubles are unknown; God’s providence is certain.

Bible in a year: Psalms 1-3; Acts 17:1-15

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Where Does My Help Come From?

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Max Lucado

David said in Psalm 121, “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?”  And David answers his own question, “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip, He who watches over you will not slumber. The Lord watches over you. The Lord will keep you from all harm, He will watch over your life.”

God—your rescuer, has the right vision.  He also has the right direction. He made the boldest claim in the history of man when He declared, “I am the way.”  People wondered if the claim was accurate. He answered their question by forging a path through the underbrush of sin and death—escaping alive.

Maybe you need your hope restored.  If so, lift up your eyes.  Like David said, look unto the hills…look unto the One who made you and He will give you help

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – You Have Hope

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Max Lucado

For many, hope is in short supply. Hopelessness is an odd bag. Unlike others, it isn’t full. It’s empty, and its emptiness creates the burden. Unzip the top and examine all the pockets. Turn it upside down and shake it hard. The bag of hopelessness is painfully empty! Not a very pretty picture, is it?  What would it take to restore your hope? One comes quickly to mind…a person.  Not just any person. You need someone to look you in the face and say, “This isn’t the end.  Don’t give up.  There’s a better place than this.  And I’ll lead you there.”

David, in Psalm 23, used these words, “He restores my soul.”  God majors in restoring hope to the soul. Please note that you always have hope!  Psalm 121:7 says, “The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life.” He’s the perfect one to do so!

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Charles Stanley – Seeking God’s Presence

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Psalm 121:1-2

Picture a three-year-old who suddenly realizes she’s lost sight of her parent. Imagine her sense of fear—a feeling of danger, vulnerability, and an overwhelming need to get out of that situation. Now glance with me into the next room, where her father still has the child in his line of vision. Though the little girl is unable to locate him, he can see her perfectly.

Like that child, we can find ourselves beset by sudden difficulty and overcome with fear. At times like that, we might wonder, Where is our heavenly Father? When we are able to turn our minds away from the hardship and look up with spiritual eyes, we will see that He is and always has been near to us (Deut. 31:6).

Unfortunately, trouble operates like a magnet on our attention; it takes effort to detach our gaze from the adversity and affix it on God. But by developing a consistent habit of seeking the Lord’s presence throughout each and every day, we will find it easier to do so in a crisis.

The Holy Spirit stands ready to help us sharpen our spiritual eyesight. The best time to practice is when the issues in our lives are “normal” and the stress level is tolerable. However, these are the very times when we are most tempted to focus on our routine and seek our heavenly Father only occasionally.

We must become people who habitually look for evidence of God’s nearness. We can look for it in creation, in the Christians with whom we worship and serve, and in our own lives. With spiritual eyes trained to seek the Lord, we will be able to look up and find Him, even in the dark nights of our lives (Acts 7:55).

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Spend Time with Him – Max Lucado

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C. S. Lewis wrote: “The moment you wake up each morning your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job of each morning consists in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, letting that other, stronger, larger, quieter life come flowing in.”

Here’s how the psalmist began his day: “Every morning, I tell you what I need, and I wait for your answer” (Psalm 5:3).

Spend time waiting on God. And, at the end of the day, thank God for the good parts. Question him about the hard parts. Seek his mercy.  Seek his strength. And as you close your eyes, take this assurance into your sleep: “He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4).  If you fall asleep as you pray, don’t worry. What better place to doze off than in the arms of your Father.