Psalm 121
The Creator’s Unfailing Help

Tyler Anderson returned as our guest preacher on Sunday. Psalm 121 is part of a collection of 15 psalms called “songs of ascent.” They were most likely sung by pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem for one of the three mandatory feasts, as they “went up” 2,500 feet in elevation. Tyler taught that this psalm is for us too; our journeys through life can feel like an uphill climb.

When life feels overwhelming, where do I turn for help? As fallen human beings and in a culture obsessed with self-help, the sad truth is that we often look to anyone and anything other than the Lord for help. We rely on our own strength and resolve, our own intelligence augmented by Google searches. We turn to our bank accounts and our network of family and friends and contacts. Our tendency is to turn to God for help as a last resort. Lord, I confess that my bent toward self-help dishonors You. You certainly use resources You have given me and people You have put in my life to help me, but I often forget that they are just tools in my true Helper’s hand. Forgive me!

The psalmist teaches us that when we face steep, rough terrain (metaphorically speaking), we should look to the Maker of heaven and earth as a first resort. On a practical level, how do we do that? Tyler suggested that, the next time you’re worried or stressed, go outside and look at the mountains around us and the vast starry sky. Remind yourself that the One who made them is keeping you. Moreover, He made them by just speaking a word. Therefore, He certainly has the power to keep you! Here’s another suggestion: Ingrain these truths in your soul by the daily practice of Bible reading and prayer. If I hear from God through His word and talk to Him in prayer every day, I am much more likely to lift my eyes to Him on the day trouble looms. Lord, shake me up when I fall into thinking that intentional Bible reading and prayer is a nice “extra” if I have time. Teach me that it is my daily food, an absolute necessity of life.

Tyler acknowledged that bad things happen to believers, that the help the Lord gives us is not necessarily a swift and complete rescue from difficult circumstances. When trouble not only knocks on your door but moves in, that doesn’t mean the Lord has failed to keep you. The last two verses of the psalm widen the lens to show the Lord actively keeping us – protecting and guarding us – in all of life, in every circumstance. We think first and foremost of physical protection, but the Lord keeps our whole being, body and soul. His ultimate concern is for our eternal well-being. Lord, it’s easy for me to see that You are keeping me “when the world’s ‘all as it should be’” (as we sang on Sunday). Give me eyes of faith to see how You keep me in the valley of the shadow of death, as we learned in Psalm 23.

In Christ,
Carol Gilbert

P.S. The prayer blog will take a 2-week break for Easter. Check your inbox for the next edition on April 29.

* This is an abbreviated version of our weekly prayer blog. For the full version, including congregation prayer requests, subscribe here.