“The Lord will Keep Your Life”
November 10, 2024
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills — from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and for evermore.
Over the years I have traveled in China three times. I found it to be a fascinating place to explore.
On one of the adventures to China, as I boarded the plane in Beijing for the return flight the captain announced a problem. A warning light for engine #2 had come on. In a calm tone, he said this would require moving the plane to a maintenance area of the airport to be checked. He suspected the problem was likely a warning light malfunctioning.
Knowing the flight was going to take many hours, this delay did not register with me and I put my eyes back into a book. About thirty minutes later, the captain’s voice announced that the problem was not a warning light, but an engine part that needed replacing. He explained the part would need to clear customs before it could be delivered and installed. After that the engine would be tested. All this he estimated to take about an hour. I went back to my book.
An hour later the engine roared to life and soon we were in the air. But before I settled in for the long haul flight, I could not help but think: Is this engine truly fixed? I am not fearful of flyer, but the question did cross my mind. Will this be another safe flight?
Psalm 121 begins with a similar question from an anxious traveler about to start out on a journey. “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where will my help come?
Psalm 121 is one of fourteen “Pilgrimage” psalms which originated to accompany those making the journey to Jerusalem for one of the great festivals. This psalm starts with the admission from an anxious person, worried or fearful about some concern, enough to cry out for help.
Have you ever felt that way? Think about times when life’s circumstances have left you feeling anxious, fearful about the future. Where did you turn for help beyond your own resources?
Some years back, the Associated Press released a study done by an agricultural school in Iowa. It reported that crop production is far beyond human control. The study reported that producing 100 bushels of corn from an acre of land required much more than the farmer’s labor. To produce corn required 520,000 gallons of water, 6,800 pounds of oxygen, 5,200 pounds of carbon, 160 pounds of nitrogen, 125 pounds of potassium, 75 pounds of yellow sulfur, and other elements too numerous to list, leaving only 5 per cent of corn production attributable to human effort. www.ministry127.com/resources/illustration/efforts-of-man-and-spiritual-fruit#:~:text=A%20number%20of%20years%20ago,to%20the%20efforts%20of%20man.
There are many things in life that we cannot do alone. In times of trouble, fear, worry, anxiety or discouragement, we all have needs for which others can help us. Psalm 121 begins with the honest admission, “I can’t do it alone. I need someone to help me.” “I lift up my eyes to the hills — from where will my help come?” Notice as soon as the question is asked, the questioner answers: “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
In a time of fear and worry, the traveler realizes help comes from the One who created the world. In the midst of the question comes an affirmation of Divine love and care. Imagine our times of worry or fear if we could address them with such faith.
By the next verse, the traveler does not speak anymore. Instead, friends and family offer encouragement and reminders of Divine protection and comfort: He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper.
In past times, a watchman had important duties. In our society we have lost touch with the watchman. High tech cameras and sensors do the work that people used to do. But not that many years ago, as close as 90 miles from where I live, a watchman worked on the revolving railroad bridge in the Duluth-Superior harbor. As a ship came into port, the watchman activated the motor to spin the rail bridge around so the ship could safely pass and then return it so that the next train would not end up in the water. Without the watchman being wide awake, there would be disaster.
At this point in the psalm, the loved ones bidding the traveler farewell share a reminder that God does not sleep while we are going through this life. Not only will God stay awake to watch over us, but God also protects us as we travel through life. “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.”
Six times the word “keep” is used in this Psalm. The idea of God keeping us is a very primary one in the Old Testament. Maybe that’s why the common blessing at the end of worship is “The Lord bless you and keep you.”
If you have ever had the task of disbursing the household contents of someone who has died, you know the feeling when you discover the simple items that the deceased had kept for many years. Most often, those items had little monetary value and would not fetch a dollar at an estate sale. But they were items of meaning that held value and were worth keeping for one now gone. Psalm 121 reminds us that God sees us as valuable. We have meaning to God and thus God keeps us. “The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.”
In my mind there is a melody running through these words which come close to the spirit of Willie Nelson’s song “On the Road Again.” I doubt Willie Nelson had Christian life in mind when he performed that song. But God knows our lives are always moving and sometimes burdened with worries, fears or troubles beyond our control. But the good news is God is still there promising to watch over and keep us.
As we move through life, God is always moving, too. We see that in Jesus who was always traveling on. He never stayed long in one place. His purpose in life was not to find some comfortable place and settle down. Rather he was always moving forward, calling people to follow him straight to the cross and the newness of resurrected life.
That is what we are called to do, no matter the troubles, fears or challenges. We move forward in faith, following Christ with those who are on the same path.
Prayer of Psalm 121
O Divine love, I turn my eyes toward You. Who can help me but You?
You are the Maker of heaven and earth and my help in times of trouble.
You are my Protector who keeps my feet firmly on the ground. I can trust You never sleep and always have Your good plan in mind for my life.
You love your children. You are our shield, protecting us day and night.
When troubles around me turn to fear, You cover me with Your peace and comfort.
You provide rest secure in Your hands and I know You will never be struck down. You are the one who made the heavens, earth, sun, moon, and stars. You strike out fear and replace it with Your love.
When the cares of the world threaten to overtake my heart, I will remember You protect me from all harm. I entrust my life to Your safekeeping.
When I rise or sleep, I will rest in Your arms, knowing You keep me holding me safe, both now and forever
All praise, glory, and honor be to Your great name forever!
