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
The opening words of Psalm 121 are laminated to the dash of my 4-wheel drive Jeep Wrangler. I enjoy the opportunity to lift up my eyes unto the desert hills of Arizona, and then venture out to find the many trails which criss-cross those hills. But I do not go unprepared for possible unfortunate circumstances… like mechanical trouble, a wheel stuck in the mud or against a rock, or (gasp!) a roll-over! For those eventualities, I carry with me a tow strap, a winch, replacement parts, tools, extra fluids, a first aid kit and a cell phone. “If you don’t have to stop and fix something on the trail, you’re not doing it right!”
God knows that life is a journey not without its eventual breakdowns, mechanical (physical, spiritual, emotional) failures and the occasional roll-over. No matter how equipped each of us is, there will eventually come the need to stop and fix something on the trail. But the psalmist reminds us that, whatever glory and/or trouble the trail into the hills brings to us, the Lord is the one who will forever guide and protect us. At the end of a great trek, the Lord will lead us safely home.
Prayer
Lord, join us on the journey into the hills and equip us with the good things you see that we need so that our homecomings may be blessed. Amen.