At no time in my lifetime have I witnessed such a widespread and long-term anxiety as we are in now. Our fear and anxiety have multiple layers to them like a tall cake – only this isn’t sweet to the taste. We have the usual worries of how our children are doing and how to care for our grandparents. But added to the financial worries are a whole host of fear and anxieties. Now a virus arrives from the Wuhan, China that has stopped much of our personal lives.
We are dealing with Zoom and a host of video conferencing calls for work, school, and even church. The frustration is so high that our even some of elementary school children are crying (and not because of bullying). Rioting and protesting fill many of the streets of our larger cities. Worry and anxiety is off the charts in 2020. And we see it getting worse and worse and worse. We think, “If it’s this bad now, what will it be for my children and my grandchildren?” Where do we turn? Where do we turn? We turn to God’s Word.
We need the book of Psalms in times like these. The Psalms were sung on board the Mayflower as it came to the Colonies. A Psalm was the third book printed in America.
Each and every word of this psalm brings good news about God to those who need Him. Like hungry people getting a whiff from the kitchen – good things are coming! I’ve got some good things to tell you today. I can’t wait to tell you about God’s sleeping patterns but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Today’s Scripture
A Song of Ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on 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 forth and forevermore” (Psalm 121:1-8).
We need the book of psalms in times like these. The Psalms were sung on board of the ship when the Pilgrims set sail in the Mayflower. A Psalm Book was the third book printed in America.
1. The Lord Is My Helper
Say this with me, church family: “The Lord is My Helper.”
The psalmist says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2).
1.1 Overpromise?
Many times in life we are told not to overpromise and underdeliver. Evidently, the writer of Psalm 121 has never hear of this kind of thing. Psalm 121 will have not have any of this. Psalm 121:8 reminds you a politician on the campaign trail: “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore” (Psalm 121:8). That is a HUGE promise!
Know this: a favorite way to write Hebrew poetry is where the writer gives an example of opposites so that everything is included. By including both opposites we know everything. God promises He will protect you everywhere and in everything. Yes, Psalm 121 promises the child of God a whole lot. As you read it, you have to be thinking, “Can He do all that He promised?”
God says, “I will not let your foot be moved.”
God says, “I am your shade in highest heat of the day.”
God says, “I will guard from the dangers of night and I will protect you from every menace by day.”
Yahweh says, “I will keep from you from all harm.”
It’s as if God is saying, “Overpromise and underdeliver, Me? Why, I haven’t even rolled up my sleeves yet.”
1.2 Mountains of Problems
Look again at verse 1 where it says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come” (Psalm 121:1)? The psalmist thinking, “Where does my help from come from?” as he looks to the mountains.
Does he want to flee to the mountains like a bird for safety? Or, are those foreboding mountains that he must cross over. The mountains could either be a place to hide or a lair for his enemies. No matter because either way, the thought makes him to jump to the One who made the mountains.
You need to look up, look way up, my friend. Look beyond the Rockies of your unRest, the Andes of your Anxieties, or the Himalayas Heaps of your fear. The mountains are nothing when compared to the help of the Lord.
Fundamentally, the Christian has a resource to help with stress that is a huge advantage. The Christian knows there is a tight relationship between the Creator and the things He created.
1.3 A Bolt of Lightning
Let me show you how this works. Think about one bolt of lightning for a moment. At any given moment, it is estimated that there are some 6,000 flashes of lightning happening around the globe. That bolt is only two inches wide. You can only see it for 300 millionths of a second, and there can be up to 40 strokes in that same channel of lightning. Just one bolt of lightning can reach over 50,000 degree Fahrenheit. That’s about five times hotter than the surface of the sun. Your house probably runs on 120 volts but one bolt of lightning has around 300 billion volts. If you could harness the power of just one lightning then you power 56 average homes for a day. The God I’m talking about helping you is the God who controls all that power.
So when you hear “My help comes from the Lord,” you need to know that lightning bolts are nothing more than His chariots. I think all of us can say, “He has some kind of power.” Again, there’s a tight relationship between the Creator and the thing He creates. This is your secret weapon to handle anxiety.
1.4 What’s His Exact Problem?
Back into Psalm 121 for a minute. Is Psalm 121 written about the dangers of the king, his battles and his challenges? The truth is we just don’t know. We are not told his specific problem.
I asked some of you what your anxieties were this week. You told me a wide range of things that challenge your sleep. From having no control over a situation, to your finances, and to failing your boss. Nikki says she fears large crowds and Karen says she is anxious over any kind of confrontation. Jessica says she experiences extreme anxiety when her children question their salvation. Kristin says she struggles with depression since she was a child and no pastor takes into account mental disorders when addressing the issue of anxiety. One of the most repeated fears was fear for future generations where it was a mother hurting for her children or a grandfather fearing for his grandchildren. George says he’s anxious for an adult son that’s drifting from God.
I like the fact that the psalmist doesn’t tell us what his exact problem is. Maybe the Lord reached down from the Heavens with a divine eraser to keep the psalmist from writing down his specific issue. Since we don’t this guy’s specific problem … now, everyone can reads it says, “It doesn’t matter how big my problem or what my problem is! The God of the Bible can handle it!” No matter the problem, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob can handle your problems.
I like how a chorus we sing today puts it,
“If you've got pain
He's a pain taker
If you feel lost
He's a way maker
If you need freedom or saving
He's a prison-shaking Savior”
Just ask Paul and Silas; they know about something about a prison-shaking Savior. They were in a prison cell in the ancient city of Philippi persecuted for their faith. The Bible says, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God…” (Acts 16:25a). Paul and Silas looked up for they knew God was their helper. All of sudden, God sent an earthquake and they were free! But note this carefully, Paul and Silas sang praise before the earthquake! It’s easy to praise him after you’re saved.
1.4 When I Cannot Look Up
I call on you to look up to the Lord for He is your help. You need to look up but what if you cannot even muster the strength to look up. Have you been there? You’re so downcast, you don’t have the strength to look up! Here’s a verse to memorize: “But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head” (Psalm 3:3). Listen, God is even “the lifter of my head” and say with the psalmist, “My help comes from the Lord.”
Can you imagine anyone you had rather have as your helper than the God who created this universe? Think about a God that is higher than the hills, mightier than the mountains, above all the armies and greater than all the generals. Fear argues that the mountains are too big, but faith asserts that the Lord is bigger than the mountains.
Say this again with me, “The Lord is My Helper.”
1. The Lord Is My Helper
2. The Lord is Our Keeper
Say this with me, “The Lord is Our Keeper.”
The word “keep” and “keeper” appears many times in this poem. See it in verse 3, on ONE screen: “He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber” (Psalm 121:3). And again in verse 4, on ONE screen: “Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4). God’s keeping ability is so great that he can say succinctly, “The Lord is your keeper…” (Psalm121:5a). He repeats in verse 7, “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life” (Psalm 121:7). And one last time to conclude the song, “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore” (Psalm 121:8).
Yes, God is your keeper and He’s our keeper. This is a word of protection for us like a prescription written for us by our doctor.
Notice the first place he looks at his feet. It’s there in verse 3 that he says, “[The Lord] not let your foot be moved.” This is when the path of life is not laid out smooth in front of you and you’re fearful you’ll stumble. He’s fearful he’s going to stumble in life. How do we keep from stumbling in this life? There’s 2 ways Psalm 121 shows us how to keep from falling and they are both saying the same thing. Watch for a habit here that you will need to change.
2.1 A Change in Pronouns
Notice there’s a change in the pronouns after first 2 first verses: “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved…” (Psalm 121:2-3a). You’ll see it again in verse 5: “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand” (Psalm 121:5). You may not catch it at first but there’s at least 2 people talking in this psalm. We know this because the first two verses begin with personal pronouns and this changes to third person pronouns in verse 3. To build your faith during times of anxious stress, you need to be around someone of strong faith.
2.2 Isolated Faith is Weak Faith
Know this: If you isolate your faith, then you will weaken your faith. When your confidence in the Lord is weak, you need to take your faith out for a walk to meet others. One of the best things you can do for weak faith is to bring it near others’ faith. You faith needs to have its legs stretched. Your faith, your confidence in the Lord is assaulted from every direction 24/7. Very few things build faith and confidence in the Lord like being close to others of strong faith. Your confidence in the Lord needs to be revived; it needs a warm up. You need an experienced, seasoned believer to listen to your concerns and remind you.
2.3 Song of Ascents
The ancient Hebrew people encouraged one another’s faith through Psalm 121. Did you notice that little title in the beginning of Psalm 121? In fact, if you had a copy of the original Hebrew you would see that this is actually verse one and our verse 1 is verse 2. Let me show you something. Each one of Psalms 120-134 all bear the same superscription, “A Psalm of Ascents.” These are the songs that the Jews sang as they ascended to Jerusalem every year for their feasts. They traveled together as a group and on foot and they sang/recited this psalms as they went. Over the years, a songbook developed that served as traveling songs. They would sing Psalm 121 to one another on their way to Jerusalem. These words would be memorized.
But there’s more. They would sing and cite the words of Psalm 121 on the very steps of the ancient Temple. I found this next piece fascinating. Neil Armstrong went to Israel in 2007, and while he was touring the nation, he asked “Is there any place where we know Jesus walked.” The man who first walked on the moon and said, “One small step for man… one giant leap for mankind” wanted to walk where he knew Jesus had actually walked. He was taken to the Southern Steps. Armstrong knelt down to kissed the ground and said, “I am more excited stepping on these stones than I was stepping on the moon.”
Media note: let me finish the Armstrong story before showing picture.
In fact, here’s a picture of a group from our church when we visited these very Southern Steps. I mention all this because some suggest that these 15 psalms were sung/recited on the wide steps we see today. Can you imagine walking up each of those steps and reciting the words of Psalm 121 with your family? You take a step and then everyone recites the words of Psalm 122 together. And another step, you recite Psalm 123 together. You get the picture.
You need to be reminded the Lord is your keeper. You need to remind someone that the Lord is your keeper. That’s why we gather in groups and we come to church.
He says, “The Lord is your keeper…” (Psalm 121:5a). Again, “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life” (Psalm 121:7).
Here’s a verse to memorize: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).
You are not promised a cozy life but a protected life … … for the Lord is our keeper.
Say this again, with me, “The Lord is Our Keeper.”
1. The Lord Is My Helper
2. The Lord Is Our Keeper
3. The Lord Is Your Savior
Say this with me, “The Lord is My Savior.”
3.1 No Sleep
Do you ever lay awake trying to sleep but you cannot sleep. Your mind just will NOT turn off. You think, “I’m growing older and older. Will anyone love me? Will everyone abandon me?” “Will my children be ok in this crazy world that’s coming off its hinges.” You try in vain all but nothing will shut your brain down from such anxiety. I had one of those nights recently, a night where I couldn’t sleep. I bet you had one too in recent days.
“Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4).
Back in the days of World War II, when the Germans were bombing London all night every night, there was a particularly devastating bombing on a certain city and the citizens began to search among the ruins for the dead, the dying and the missing.
There was a godly old grandmother they couldn't find and they looked everywhere for her and someone finally found her soundly asleep in her little bedroom. They came in and said, “Mrs. Smith, how on earth could you sleep with all that bombing going on?” She said, “Well, it says in the Bible that, ‘He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.’ So I figured there was no need for both of us to stay up all night so I went to bed.
Friend, you will never go by the mattress store and see Jesus shopping for a bed. God owns no bed and you’ll look in vain for a bedroom all over His house. No, He doesn’t pay attention to the TV ads about the Sleep Number Bed.
He doesn’t take breaks from the job and He isn’t tired. He will never once fall asleep on the job. God never sweats. Though He upholds the universe at all times (Hebrews 1:3) and He watches over sparrows (Matthew 10:29), He never perspires. His energy level never fails.
He’s never distracted. You will never hear Him reply back to you, “Could you repeat that? My mind wandered away.”
While you sleep, God handles the world quite nicely – thank you very much. You can go to sleep because He’s awake! God is on watch 24/7, 52 weeks a year, 365 days a year and 366 days in a leap year! God is on watch one hundred years each century. He’s on watch ten centuries every millennium.
Oh, that you would feel down deep in your inner most being, God doesn’t sleep.
3.2 Life is Too Much
Do you realize you don’t have what it takes to meet the challenges life is throwing at you? Life is too much!
When the school system asks you to teach students online as well in the classroom. Life is too much!
When you have to hold down a job, ensure your children are doing their schoolwork at the same time and all the while trying to look professional on video conference calls. Life is too much!
Just as soon as you paid the summer camp fees, then school starts. There’s book fees, special calculators that cost as if they could run the space shuttle, and sport program fees! Life’s costs too much!
When the doctor says, “For someone you’re age…” Life is too much!
Your parents are locked away in an assisted living home with declining mental health and all you can do is speak to them through a window. Life’s too much!
When are you going to realize that you don’t have the personal resources to meet the challenges in front of you?
God says, “I will not let your foot be moved.”
God says, “I am your shade in highest heat of the day.”
God says, “I will guard from the dangers of night and I will protect you from every menace by day.”
Yahweh says, “I will keep from you from all harm.”
The next time you think “Life’s too much!” answer back this, “No, my Savior is too much!” He wasn’t sleeping when His Son was crucified and He will not catch even a wink during your crisis. Listen to the strong God of the Bible say to you, “I’ve got you.”
I wonder do you have Him? Have you reached out and taken a hold of His Son through faith.
Prayer
Stand today if you’re anxious and you need of prayer.
Only our pastors are looking as you stand.
Thank you for the cross, Lord. Thank you for the price you paid. Bearing all my sin and shame. Thank you for taking my sin and shame, Jesus. You came in love and you came with amazing grace.
Thank you for the nailed pierced hands. Thank you for washing me clean. Now hold my life steady. Keep my stable in an unstable world. Remind me that Kremlin, 10 Downing Street, and the Pentagon aren’t in control. I crown you with many crown and I lift you up, Jesus. Teach me to trust you, Heavenly Father.
