Psalm 121 is my favorite "Comfort-Psalm". It was one of the psalms I clung to years ago when I traveled though this big, bad, and scary world trying to find my place. Life is a journey, a journey that is often filled with uncertainty. I’m sure you have faced unnerving situations, times when you were overwhelmed by the potential for disaster. Psalm 121 is a psalm for those moments --- a song for the twilight, a hymn for the pre-op, a pilgrim chorus for those times when you’re walking down dark and dangerous paths and need to be reminded that God is “Your Keeper“.
The ancient Israelites often sang as they traveled towards Jerusalem to observe some appointed festival. As they walked, they would offer hymns to God in anticipation of bowing before God's presence. And some of these hymns, these songs of ascent, have been preserved for us in Scripture.
Psalms 121 is a song for the road, a song for people who are marching towards God, who wish to walk in God's ways, who desire to speak God's truth, who want to live God's life, but who aren’t quite there yet. Psalm 121 was written to allay fear-filled minds, to encourage careworn hearts , and to bolster flagging spirits.
“On the highway to death trudging, not eager to get to that city, yet the way is still too long for my patience --- teach me a traveling song, Master, to march along as we boys used to shout when I was a young" --- because I’m still 500 miles away from home.
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
3He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
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