Psalm 121 Assurance of God’s Protection

A Song of Ascents.
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;
   she 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.
As many of you know Anne Lamott is one of my favorite writers and as I was surfing the web this morning and reflecting on this scripture, I remembered this quote…

How perfect is that?  Yes, when I look for Help from God I may not be in the exact right location according to how we center ourselves or where we should be.  I might be in my car and feeling rather lost.  I might be in the backyard preparing my garden.  I might be in the middle of a city street with my heart yearning for something different.  I might be looking at my computer screen looking at facebook status updates and terrible news.  I might be getting ready for bed and reflecting on my day.

According the Psalmist, wherever they are they look up to God for help.  Where does my help come from?  And then the assurance comes directly afterward.  When you look up for help, God is there?  Is that hard or easy to believe?  For some this may be very comforting and for others this may seem frustrating. Really? God is there? Then, why did such and such happen?  And the answer is…we don’t have an answer.  Much like Job hears out of the whirlwind, God announces God’s presence but doesn’t give answers. 

Today, when I am in need of help, I will look up wherever I may be and call out to God…even if it is clumsy, lovely, simple, courageous or not.  And I may just pray wherever I may be.  Where does your help come from?

Peace,

Court