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
This “song of ascents” is a tramping psalm, one to sing on a hike through the woods, on a walk with the dog, or on a pilgrimage up —- or down -- the mountain.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where will my help come?” asks the walker from the mountain’s edge. The song answers: “My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.”
The song assures the walker as she traverses the mountain: “He will not let your foot be moved.” The song assures the walker as she walks out into the foothills: “The LORD is your keeper…your shade at your right hand.” The song assures her as she descends into the darkest valley: “The LORD will keep you from all evil, your going out and your coming in … [now] and forevermore.” In life and in death, God is our keeper.
Prayer
Lord God, keep us in your care. Bless our going out and our coming in. Walk with us always. Amen.