We live in a scary time. During my lifetime, I remember a time when our country was what I would call, “Christianized.” In witnessing, you could start with statements like, “You believe the Bible, don’t you?” or “Where’s your church membership?” Then, in the 80’s and 90’s our country moved to being “Post-Christian.” No longer could you assume that people accepted the Bible was inspired or that they even believed in God or were familiar with the basic teachings of Christianity. Now that we’ve moved into the 21st century, I’ve seen our country become increasingly “Anti-Christian.”
In “The Supreme Court Agrees With Hobby Lobby, But Your Neighbor Probably Doesn’t,” Trevin Wax writes, “A generation ago, a person’s religious observance was a public matter, a defining characteristic of one’s identity, while a person’s sexual activity was something private. Today, this situation is reversed. A person’s sexual behavior is now considered a defining characteristic of identity, a public matter to be affirmed (even subsidized) by others, while religious observance is private and personal, relegated to places of worship and not able to infringe upon or impact the public square.”
Rick Warren points out that the discussion in our country has moved from “freedom of religion” to “freedom of worship.” The subtle shift being to one’s faith being something they observe in the privacy of their church, but not something they are to bring into the public square.
According to research done last year by a group called the First Amendment Center, 1 in 3 Americans say the first amendment (which guarantees freedom of religion and freedom of speech) goes too far in the freedom it promises. Additionally, their research shows that the group most likely to believe the First Amendment goes too far are Americans under 30 years old.
All this points to difficult days ahead for God’s people in the United States. But we shouldn’t be surprised. Jesus said: “In this world you will have tribulation.” But He also said, “Take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Psalm 121 begins with: “Where does my help come from?” (Verse 1). Then the psalmist not only answers this question by saying, “My help comes from the Lord,” but he expounds upon that answer in verses 3-8, as he tells us about the kind of help God gives to enable His
children to live victoriously in this scary world.
1. A Description - vs. 3-8
The psalmist describes the help that God makes available to us.
A. He will help me with the problem of weariness - vs. 3-4
In an anti-Christian culture, is can sometimes be difficult to “not become weary in doing good,” (Galatians 6:9). But though I often grow weary in my walk through this world, God never does. He is ever watchful over His children.
B. He will help me with the problem of weakness - vs. 5-6
Referring to our susceptibility to faint as a result of heat-stroke, the psalmist speaks of God’s help with our weaknesses. He will provide the help we need to compensate for our weaknesses. In fact, He tells us that, “my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
C. He will help me with the problem of wickedness - v.7
This is a wicked world, ruled by a wicked adversary (1 Peter 5:8-9). If possible, he will contribute to our demise. But God promises His help so that we might overcome and not be overwhelmed (1 John 4:4).
D. He will help me with the problem of wandering - v. 8
If we are not careful, we can have said of us what Paul said of Demas: “because he loved this world, has deserted me . . .” (2 Timothy 4:10).
Today, devout Jews keep a small metal cylinder fixed to the right hand door post of their homes. The cylinder contains a parchment inscribed with the words of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21. As they pass in and out of the house they touch this cylinder and recite the last verse of Psalm 121. Through this, they seek to lift up the prayer to God that they might be kept from wandering from Him.
Obviously, this ritual has not produced the desired result, for the Jews today have wandered from God in their rejection of Christ. How do we, as the true children of God, take advantage of the help God offers?
2. A Prescription - vs. 1-2
A. I must look to the Lord - v. 1a
The introduction says this is “a psalm of ascents.” Psalm 121 is one of 15 “psalms of ascent” (Psalm 120-134), a psalm recited by pilgrims journeying to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. The “hills” refer to the hills around Jerusalem, where the temple of God was, where the ark of the covenant was, the symbol of God’s presence.
In other words, in seeking God’s help, I must seek His presence & preeminence. If I desire to see God’s hand, I must seek His face! But I cannot seek God’s face if I am concerned about saving my face! As John the Baptist declared, “He must increase and I must
decrease!” (John 3:30). In seeking God’s help for us, we must focus our lives on Him!
B. I must lean on the Lord - v.2
The One who offers to help us is creator of the universe. As such, I must trust in His power & provision. Looking to our influence or resources leads to discouragement, but trusting in the power and provision of our creator God brings victory!
A man, wanting to rob a downtown Bank of America in San Francisco, walked into the branch and wrote “This iz a stikkup. Put all your muny in this bag.” While standing in line, waiting to give his note to the teller, he began to worry that someone had seen him write the note and might call the police before he reached the teller window. So he left the Bank of America and crossed the street to Wells Fargo. After waiting a few minutes in line, he handed his note to the Wells Fargo teller.
She read it and, surmising from his spelling errors that he was not the brightest light in the harbor, told him that she could not accept his stick up note because it was written on a Bank of America deposit slip and that he would either have to fill out a Wells Fargo deposit slip or go back to Bank of America. Looking somewhat defeated, the man said “Ok” and left. The Wells Fargo teller then called the police who arrested the man a few minutes later, as he was waiting in line back at Bank of America.
When we try to work things out on our own, we are as helpless and foolish as that robber. Instead, let’s trust in the power and provision of the one who made it all!
As we do, we’ll be able to testify with the Apostle Paul, who said:
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in
hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV)
C. I must live for the Lord - v. 2
God has a purpose for all of creation, including me! And as the maker of heaven and earth, God is providentially at work, keeping the
universe moving. He is also providentially at work on our behalf to fulfill His purpose in our lives. Therefore, I must surrender to His purpose & providence.It is important, as we think about this different day in which we find ourselves, to remember that God’s purpose is not to provide for our comfort, but to develop our character and to use us to bring others to Christ.
In an article that appeared in the Christian Post, written by Delores Liesner, entitled, “Growing Intolerance For Christianity in U.S.” the writer conducts an interview with Brannon Howse, author and founder of Worldview Weekend. He speaks in the interview about how American Christians have largely been sheltered from persecution. Consequently, he says, “too many are only committed to a cotton candy Christianity, and that many American (believers) are wimps who don’t want to suffer...don’t want to be uncomfortable,” while elsewhere in the world during the 20th century, 45.5 million Christians were martyred for their faith. “Our culture,” he says, “is doing what Scripture said – getting worse and worse. The books of James and 1 Peter tell us not to be surprised at fiery ordeals ...[when they come – not if] as though some strange (or foreign) thing were happening to you. Suffering, intolerance and persecution are building us up.”
It is through having our faith refined that we can get our priorities straight and make sure our witness draws others to Christ. I personally believe God is allowing things to change in our country so that His church might be moved to embrace the same kinds of priorities and give the same kind of response to opposition as did the early church.
(Read Acts 2:23-31)
One thing is for sure, we cannot do anything effectively without the Lord’s help. So, for our sake, for our church’s sake, for our country’s sake, and for the world’s sake, let’s look to the Lord; lean on the Lord; and let’s live for the Lord!
