Psalm 121 - God will sustain us

The author of Psalm 121, the second song of the Songs of Degrees, is not known. The content fits perfectly into the backdrop of a pilgrimage. As the pilgrims went up the holy hills of Jerusalem, the people would face uncertainties on the way and were in need of help. This Psalm describes what better help can be given than the help of the Lord.  

In this Psalm we see four different aspects of God’s workings in our life. He is not just a helper, but also a keeper, a protector and a preserver. The hills or mountains here refer to Mount Zion and Jerusalem. They represent the presence of God. When the psalmist said, he lifted his eye toward the mountains, he was in fact saying that he was looking to the Lord who alone could sustain his life. He was sure that he could receive help from the Lord. So in his uncertainty in the journey, he would look to the Lord for the help he needed. 

To lift up one’s eye was a gesture of prayer. And this is the posture we all need when we approach the Lord. It’s also a posture of dependence and reliance. It not only shows submission but also reflects one’s confidence and trust in God. The object of the Psalmist’s focus was on the Lord, the creator of heaven and earth. The best help he knew would come from the Creator God.

Not only is the Lord a helper, He is also a keeper of our life. No one can keep us better than the Lord. He watches over us 24/7. The Psalmist puts it this way: He will neither sleep nor slumber. In other words, there is not a moment in which the Lord would take His eyes off us. He can see what’s before us and also what’s after us. He can see when an event is coming and will help us to stay alert.

Verses 5-6 depict God as the shade over the life of His worshipers. This simply means that God is our protector. Whether by day or by night, in sunlight or in moonlight, He will provide the covering. He knows how much hair there are on our head and He cares even when a blade of it gets loose and falls off. He will protect us around the clock to ensure that we are not severely disadvantaged.     

God cares for us to such a great extent that He will forever be our preserver. Verses 7-8 make it clear that our path in life, either going out or coming in, will be shielded from harm. It will not only be for time but also for eternity. We will be preserved from the evil of sin. And it will have no power or dominion over us. God will also preserve us from evil and the wicked lust it presents. He will preserve us from all schemes of wicked men because He has placed an invisible hedge around us. Yes, as Paul had declared in Romans 8:38-39 saying “…neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”