Day 524: Mountains to climb – Psalm 121

A song of ascents. 1-2 I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3-4 He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. 5-6 The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side. The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night. 7-8 The Lord will protect you from all harm; He will protect your life. The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever. Psalm 121 Christian Standard Bible

Mountain climbing isn't everyone's favourite activity. While the view from the top may be stunning, the journey can be difficult and dangerous. Psalm 121's heading says “A song of ascents”- so it was probably sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem as they looked towards Mount Zion and the journey ahead. There could be hardships and possible dangers on the way. The song encouraged them to look to the God who made heaven and earth for a safe journey. What do vs 3-4 teach why God would be a safe guide?

He would keep them each step of the journey from stumbling because He never gets tired or falls asleep. God watches over His creation, and over His people, each and every day. Vs 5-6 take it even 'a step further'. What was the special protection He would give them on the journey?

The blazing sun and the hidden fears of night would have been of special concern to the traveller. But the Psalm says that God would protect them even through these things. We're not told just how He would do that, so we are probably meant to see these as pictures of His loving care for those who were on their way to worship Him at the feast in Jerusalem. It's vs 7-8, though, that declare God's ultimate care for His pilgrims – but in a way that might cause people to ask whether that is really true. It says God will keep them from 'all harm' and He will do that 'now and forever'.

Has this been true of God's people through the ages? What about Christians who were thrown to lions in Roman arenas, or burned on stakes during times of persecution? What about a Christian woman who loses her husband and children in a motor accident caused by a driver who was drunk?

My suggestion would be that we're not meant to look upon a Psalm like this (or Psalm 91 which says similar things) as being 'a blank cheque'. Remember, it was written for those who at that time were making the pilgrim journey to Jerusalem to encourage them to not be afraid. It was not written to teach in general that God's people will never have anything bad happen in their life. Many other parts of the Bible clearly teach that we must expect hard times.

But the Psalm does teach the wonderful truth that we serve a God who never gets tired of watching over our lives. It teaches that when we face mountains in our life that look impossible to climb, we have a God who will be with us each step of the way, and who is able to keep us from falling. It's like the words in Jude vs 24 which say: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling - and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and for ever.”

The whole of our Christian journey is like a pilgrimage to heaven and there will be difficult days and great dangers on the way. At times there will be situations that are like mountains. But, even if God permits tragedy to be part of our journey, His love for us never pauses. It doesn't mean He 'fell asleep' or wasn't watching. As the last word of the Psalm says, His care for us extends into the 'forever', and He will bring us into that eternal presence where our journey will have been completed and our faith will turn to sight. Our testimony there, as we sing with the redeemed, will be: “My help came from the Lord - the Maker of heaven and earth.”