Lift Up Your Eyes: The Disciple’s Confidence In A Watching God Series

Lift Up Your Eyes: The Disciple’s Confidence in a Watching God

Introduction — A Call to Look Up

Church, we live in an age of constant noise. Notifications interrupt prayer. Headlines stir anxiety. The pace of modern life pulls our eyes downward — toward fear, uncertainty, and distraction.

Yet the disciple of Jesus is called to live differently.

Tonight, we begin with the question asked in Psalm 121 — a question every disciple must answer:

“I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there?” (Psalm 121:1, NLT)

The pilgrim asks: Where does my help come from?

The disciple asks: Who am I following?

And the Christian answers: My help comes from the LORD.

This psalm becomes a discipleship psalm — a song for those who walk with God in a dangerous world.

Our theme today: Following Jesus means learning to live with confidence because the Lord watches over us.

Psalm 121:1–8 (NLT):

*“I look up to the mountains—

does my help come from there?

My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth!

He will not let you stumble;

the one who watches over you will not slumber.

Indeed, he who watches over Israel

never slumbers or sleeps.

The LORD himself watches over you!

The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.

The sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon at night.

The LORD keeps you from all harm

and watches over your life.

The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go,

both now and forever.”*

Psalm 121 is one of the Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120–134). Pilgrims sang these as they travelled upward to Jerusalem for worship.

The journey was difficult — steep roads, robbers, exposure, uncertainty. The mountains represented both danger and false hope; pagan shrines often stood on high places.

So the pilgrim declares: help does not come from the hills — but from the Creator of the hills.

Discipleship today mirrors that pilgrimage. We are travellers, not settlers. We are moving toward Christ, learning to trust Him daily.

1 — The Disciple’s Source of Help

Psalm 121:1–2 “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!”

The Hebrew word for help is “?ezer” — strong aid, rescue, divine assistance. This is not weak support; it is covenant intervention.

The disciple does not merely receive advice — he receives God Himself.

John 15:5 (NLT): “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches… apart from me you can do nothing.”

Jesus speaks to His disciples before the cross, preparing them for life after His departure.

Greek Meno — “remain” or “abide.” Discipleship is continuous dependence.

Modern disciples often look for help in productivity, self-help, or technology. Yet Jesus says: apart from Him, we can do nothing of eternal value.

A smartphone with a dead battery may look impressive — but it cannot function. Many Christians look spiritually active yet are disconnected from the source.

Tim Keller: “Religion says, ‘I obey, therefore I am accepted.’ The Gospel says, ‘I am accepted, therefore I obey.’”

Discipleship begins not with our strength but with grace. We follow because Christ has already received us.

2 — The Disciple’s Security in a Watching God

Psalm 121:3–4 “He will not let you stumble… he who watches over you never slumbers or sleeps.”

The Hebrew verb “shamar” appears repeatedly — meaning to guard, keep, preserve. God is the vigilant guardian.

Unlike pagan gods who must be awakened, Israel’s God never sleeps.

Hebrews 12:2 (NLT): “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.”

Christians facing persecution are urged to endure.

Greek Aphorao — fixing one’s gaze away from distractions.

The disciple’s security is not the absence of trouble but the presence of God.

A child asleep in a car trusts the driver completely. The child rests because someone else is awake.

So the disciple rests because God never sleeps.

Max Lucado: “God is never absent, never too busy, never asleep.”

What comfort for anxious hearts! The disciple can sleep because God keeps watch.

3 — The Disciple’s Daily Walk Under God’s Care

Psalm 121:5–6 “The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.”

“Shade” evokes desert imagery — protection from scorching heat.

God’s presence is personal and near.

Matthew 28:20 (NLT): “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

The Great Commission — disciples are sent into a hostile world.

Greek Meta — with, alongside.

Discipleship is not following Jesus at a distance. It is walking with Him in daily life — workplaces, homes, online spaces.

Charles Stanley: “Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him.”

The disciple obeys because God stands beside him. Courage grows from companionship.

4 — The Disciple’s Eternal Confidence