Psalm 121 NLT
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
5 The LORD himself watches over you!
The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
7 The LORD keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
This psalm was written for the Jewish people as they travelled to Jerusalem for special religious observances. Most of them walked, and the journey could take several days depending on where you were coming from. You could stumble as you walked, you might face scorching hot days, or you might meet bandits along the way. This would be an encouraging song to sing as you walked along.
This is a psalm for us as we travel through life, especially now as we travel through this crazy world. There is one phrase that appears 5 times – “watches over you”. Verse 5 is super amazing. “The LORD himself watches over you!”
Life in 2023/24 is not very predictable. It looks like our economy is trying to rebound. But the rate of inflation is becoming overwhelming. The cost of food and gas is skyrocketing. We are concerned for the people of Israel/Gaza and Ukraine, and also wondering if this might lead to another world war. The pandemic restrictions have eased, but it’s not over, so we wonder how much we need to be careful. We’re hearing from medical people that emotional and mental distress is rising.
Does God care about me during troubled times? Yes, he is watching over me!
“My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth”. This is no helpless God. He is the creator of the universe. He is powerful and knows exactly how everything works. He knows what is happening right now, and what will come tomorrow. He never sleeps. He is watching over you every minute 24/7. He is not looking away, caught up in some other event, and oops – he didn’t see what happened to you.
“The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.” The Bible never promises that we will sail through life with no problems or difficult situations. The word “harm” can be better translated as disaster, something that can’t be fixed. We live in a broken world, and bad things happen. But God “watches over you” all through those hard situations. He watches over us as we “come and go” in our daily lives. He watches us “both now and forever”.
Joseph was an example of someone who experienced a lot of hardship. His brothers were jealous of him being Dad’s favourite son, so they sold him to a slave trader from Egypt. His master’s wife got upset when he refused to have sex with her, and Joseph ended up in prison for years. Through divine intervention, Joseph ended up a key government figure who managed the country through years of famine. When his brothers showed up looking for food, Joseph made sure they got what they needed, but also arranged to meet with them. They were embarrassed and frightened for their lives, knowing they had intended to harm Joseph. This is what Joseph told them: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50: 20)
If you are having a hard time these days, keep this psalm handy to read. Know that God cares for you no matter what is happening. He is “watching over you”. He can actually turn a bad year into something good in your life. Turn your eyes from all the frustrating, sad things, and look to him.
“You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern.” (1 Peter 5: 7 J.B. Phillips)
Here is a hymn that echoes the thoughts of today’s devotions.
God Will Take Care of You by the Heritage Singers.