Well, my title for Psalm 121 is, "Do You Need Help?" Do you ever feel like crying out, "I need help!"? Do you ever feel incapable or ill-prepared? I can remember with Luella, my wife, our parenting days where it seemed like every time, we got used to a stage our children were in, they would move to a new stage, and we always felt unprepared--we always felt like we were catching up, and just when we would get our parental act together, they'd move on to another stage of development.
Do you ever feel burdened or overwhelmed? I know some of you are facing overwhelming things in your personal life. Maybe a battle with sin or maybe a physical illness that's just hard to live through, or maybe trouble in your marriage or trouble with your children, or your extended family, or betrayal of friendship, or you're the alien at work as a believer, or struggles in your university because you're maybe misunderstood and mocked.
We live in a broken world. And the Bible says our world is "groaning waiting for redemption" and that trouble will enter your door. Where do you go for help?
Well, Psalm 121 is for you. Let me let me read this brief Psalm.
I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does 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.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on 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 forth and forevermore.
"I will lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?" Psalm 121 was written to instill confidence in God's people as they took the journey up Mount Zion to the hill in Jerusalem. They were looking up. It was written to encourage them that they were not alone, that help was available, and that their trust in the LORD was not in vain. And this beautiful little Psalm has been preserved for us because God loves us. He understands what we face, and he wants us to be confident that he will be an able and faithful helper.
I like how it says, "My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. It's almost humorous. It's like, seriously? If God made the heavens and the earth--look at that amazing feat--if he has that kind of power, come on, whatever you're facing is a small thing for him! Why would you ever doubt God's ability to meet you in your difficulty and to give you what you need? This is the one who created everything.
I love what it says about God watching over us 24/7. It says, "He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep." God's care is so complete, he never takes a rest; never! He's eternally on guard.
And then it says it's the LORD who keeps you. This is humbling. We're not kept by our own wisdom. We're not kept by our own strength. We're not kept by our own power and control. We're kept by the LORD. You can answer the question, "Where does my help come from?" It comes from the LORD who made heaven and earth.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. What kinds of overwhelming personal struggles are you going through right now? Where have you typically gone to for help in the past when struggles come? What has prevented you from going to God in the midst of your struggle? Does it spur you on to go to God knowing that he is an able and faithful helper?
2. What leads you to doubt God's ability to meet you in your difficulties? Why might the reminder that God made heaven and earth be helpful for you when problems arise and trials weigh you down? If you are struggling right now, take a moment and cry out to God with honesty. Call on him to help you face your difficulties, because while it might be a big struggle for you, it is a small thing for him.
3. How might the biblical perspective that God is watching over you 24/7 help you to face your fears? Why is the fact that God is eternally on guard over you a comforting thing? If your help truly comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth, you are kept by his wisdom, his strength, his power, and his control. How does knowing that make you feel? If this theological truth is simply knowledge for you and not something that has taken root in your heart, stop and pray right now for him to transform your heart so that when difficulties arise in your life, you respond in peace, faith, and comfort.
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• If mommy or daddy stood guard over you all day and all night, protecting you from whatever you might be afraid of, how would that make you feel? Is God more powerful, loving, smart, and strong than mommy and daddy? How does it make you feel knowing that the Bible says God watches over us all the time and never takes a rest?
• How can we remind ourselves that our help comes from God and know that not just in our head, but in our hearts too?
For Older Children:
• The Bible says that God watches over us and that he never sleeps. If you had a good, kind, powerful, smart, and loving bodyguard to watch over you, follow you around, and protect you all day and all night, how might that make you feel? How might you act differently than you currently do?
• How can you and I remind each other of the truth that our constant help comes from God? What might make that truth become rooted not only in our heads but in our hearts too? Let's pray right now for that biblical truth to become a reality for both you and me, and keep each other accountable for real change to happen in our lives as we hold this perspective in our hearts.
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