Daily Devotions

I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come?

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

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; 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.

The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore. Psalm 121

So today we begin a new week. We might have all sorts of ideas about what might happen this week. We could be excited, nervous, anxious. There will be surprises and disappointments. As we come to this new beginning, the psalmist assures us that we aren’t alone.

Every Sunday morning worship service concludes with a benediction. A final statement and assurance of God’s blessings. Each time I share the benediction I notice the words “now” and “forever.” My assumption, of course, is that we will all be back next week for worship so “forever” seems a bit odd. Until I remember that every worship service could be anyone’s last worship service. Therein lies the tension. We just don’t know what it going to happen. We only know that we won’t be alone.

Psalm 121 assures us of God’s constant presence. More than that, the psalm assures us of God’s benevolent presence. God is our guard and our guide. God is our protector and provider. We won’t be alone.

So why are we so prone to fear? Why are we so prone to feeling lonely, exposed, vulnerable? Why are we surprised at the idea of being surprised by our powerlessness? Maybe it is as simple as the age-old desire to do everything by ourselves. If we move into life as the masters of our own universe, fending for ourselves, me against the world, then we only have ourselves, our limited foible-filled selves, to rely on. Ultimately that does not end well.

So the psalmist invites us to “lift our eyes to the hills”, to see off into the distance with eyes of faith, to recognize that God is not only out there, but right there, with and for us. We are not alone.

Let us pray: Gracious Lord, as we begin this new week we pray that you might help us keep our eyes open to your presence, your protection, and your guidance. Take us where you would have us go. Use us to do what you would have us do. Be our protector and our provider. Assure us that we do not walk alone. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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