I Lift My Eyes To The Hills Series

INTRO.- ILL.- Week after week, a man came to his preacher with a big problem. He said, “When I go to bed, I can’t sleep because I’m afraid of monsters under my bed. I know it’s silly, but I can’t help it.”

His preacher recommended prayer, reading the Bible, singing hymns, keeping the lights on, but nothing worked. One Sunday the man came to church happy and well rested. He told his preacher that he got help from his friend the carpenter. The preacher asked, “What did he tell you to do?” The man said, “He told me just to cut the legs off my bed!” I guess that took care of his monster problem!

Where do you go for help in life? When you’re up against something you can’t handle, monsters real or otherwise? Where do you turn for help? I guess it would depend on the situation.

ILL.- Perhaps you remember this incident. It happened around September 2011. According to a report in Salt Lake City, UT,Brandon Wright was riding his motorcycle on U.S. Highway 89 near the Utah State University campus on a Monday morning when a black BMW pulled out of a parking lot in front of him. Wright intentionally grounded his cycle to avoid getting hit — but his bike went up in flames and he slid underneath that BMW, which was also on fire. A witness and several others, including students and construction workers, watched it unfold. They called for help, but had no time to wait for emergency workers to arrive. "If we wait, we could lose him," the witness said. Rather than stand by, the group gathered together, lifted the vehicle up, and pulled Wright to safety. "It was a very big fire," the witness said. "When I lifted the car, it was very, very hot under there."

When your house or your car is on fire you don’t take time to pray! YOU GET OUT IF YOU CAN! If you offer any prayer at all, it might be, “Lord, have mercy” or “Lord, help us!”

There are many times in life when we don’t know where to turn and who to seek for help. So what do we do? Or what should we do? If we are smart, we should turn to the Lord and seek His help.

Psalm 9:9 “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”

Psalm 10:14 “But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.”

Psalm 32:7 “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

Psalm 34:17 “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”

Psalm 34:19 “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.”

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Do you know where your help comes from? Do you know who cares about you the most?

PROP.- We look to the Lord for help in life. And what does He do for us?

1- The Lord will keep us from slipping

2- The Lord will watch over us always

I. THE LORD WILL KEEP US FROM SLIPPING

3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber.

Have you ever slipped and fell? I slipped on the ice one winter and fell on my hip, the hip that was replaced 15 years ago. When I hit the sidewalk on that hip, I thought, “Oh no!” I was just sure that I fractured it. Fortunately, for me, I got up and walked off with no damage that I know of. No one wants to slip and fall. And I hope that no one would wants to slip and fall into sin but it does happen. It happens to us all. How does this happen?

Proverbs 1:10 “My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.” Did anyone ever entice you to get involved in their sinful ways?

ILL.- Backed in the 60's I walked out of the Safeway store one night at 10 with the manager. He had a six pack of beer with him. He opened one and started to drink it. Then he said, “You want a beer?” I said, “No, thank you. I’m sorry but I don’t drink.” He said, “What are you sorry for?” He wasn’t a bad guy, but he did entice me which could have led to trouble.