Psalm 121 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 121 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1I lift up my eyes to the hills- from where will my help come?
Verse 2My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Verse 3He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
Verse 4He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Verse 5The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
Verse 6The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
Verse 7The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
Verse 8The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.
Devotion
Sometimes in the early morning hours doubt and fear suddenly overtake our slumber. Like David, we, too, face giants, in the form of projects overdue, words left unsaid or dreams unfulfilled. In the cover of darkness these hobgoblins race unrelentlessly around our minds. They bind us to the world’s pain, and we long for release. The psalmist reminds us that we are not alone in the struggle. God is beside us, fully awake, ready to do battle against the forces of evil. We must learn to call upon the strength of God to vanquish the foe. Then we will know sweet release.
Prayer
Dear God, our guardian, help calm our jangled nerves and worried minds. Give us the strength and wisdom to deal with the things that keep us from doing your will. Amen.