Who Is Your Guardian Series

Who is your guardian?

Psalm 121.

The collection of psalms known as “The Songs of Ascent,” which includes Psalm 121, are pilgrimage psalms that were sung by God’s people on their way to Jerusalem. If you’ve ever gone on a road trip, you know people traveling together sing together. The Israelites were no different. But while road trip songs are typically silly and nonsensical, designed primarily to entertain and pass the time, this collection had a much larger theological purpose: “These psalms were confessional. Together as these people recited these psalms, they were making claims about God, themselves, and the world in which they lived”

Psalm 121 invites people to consider the source of their help. Of course, we will say that God is that source, “but to speak it is one thing, to believe it is another. The psalmist assures those who pray this psalm that "we do not walk alone—the Maker of heaven and earth journeys with us as our helper” .

Biblical history shows us that when people journeyed with God they were at great risk:

Moses defied Pharaoh;

Israel occupied the promised land;

David challenged Goliath;

A poor band of disciples followed Jesus;

Paul sat in a Roman prison

None of these actions make sense unless the actors all understood ‘from whence’ came their help—unless they understood that they were ‘in the watch-care of a great big ' God’ The same is true for us. Our own circumstances may be challenging and risky, yet we do not have to confront them alone.

The crux of Psalm 121 is this: "We have confidence that the Maker of heaven and earth stands as Guardian ‘watching over our coming and going both now and forevermore"

Psalm 121 is a psalm about trusting in God’s providential care. It is a travel Psalm. In fact many families read this Psalm out loud together before going on a trip. They attach a small cylinder called a Mezuzah with some Scriptures in it (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21) to their right door frame. And whenever they leave or enter their home they touch the Mezuzah and recite Psalm 121 verses 5 and 8.

We all need help at times in life Where do you go when you need help? Do you call on family? Friends? Dial 911?

It’s good to have a support system in place, but we need to look further than that. Because history and experience teach us that no safety plan, no insurance policy, no security system can keep you absolutely safe in this life. You can follow all the safety rules, take every precaution, exercise and eat well, and things can still go wrong.

And that’s why we need to look to God for our help.

Do you need help today? Then this psalm is for you. This is a good one to memorize and have handy for the journey of life. However memorizing is good and has an important purpose. But the problem with memorization is that, once we learn the words, we often fail to consider what they mean.

Psalm 121 teaches us three big truths about God’s help and care for you.

1) The Creator is your helper.

2) The God of Israel is your protector. And then finally,

3) the LORD will keep you from all harm.

Let’s look at all three of these as we learn to put our trust in God’s providence and care for our lives.

First of all, the Creator is your helper. Look at verses 1-2: “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2) These are beautiful verses of Scripture that have brought much comfort to God’s people over the years. Many of you may have quoted these verses in times of need. And they tell us several things about God and the help that he provides.

They encourage us to look beyond the mountains to the God who created them. The hills in verse one are part of the argument here. Mountains are symbols of strength and stability. They are great in size, long-lasting and unchanging. The creation reflects the Creator Rom. 1: 20 -21. And so the God who made the mountains is even greater in power and strength - Psalm 46:1, 90:2.

The hills are also upward in direction. We tend to look down when we’re in trouble. Our faces are downcast. Our focus is on our troubles and all our problems down here, and they just tend to drag us down further. But don’t look down. That’s the wrong direction! The hills are a reminder that we are to look up. You must lift your eyes to look at a mountain. But don’t stop there. Are you looking high enough? You must look beyond the mountains to the God who created them because God is higher than all.