“Look Up, Lift Up” (Psalm 121)

In the Slough of Despond

In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress main character Christian was accompanied by a travel companion, named Pliable, after he had left his hometown, the City of Destruction. As they were busily talking and heedless of the way, they both fell suddenly into the bog, called the Slough of Despond. Pliable became offended and angry. Struggling desperately, he climbed out of the mire and returned to his home. In fact, he didn’t even turn to help Christian. He didn’t even say good-bye. Christian was left alone in the mire and dragged himself through to the side nearest the narrow gate. But he could not climb out because of the burden on his back, and he began to sink again. Just in time a man named Help came along. Help pull Christian out of the mire. Then he said, “Remember when you ask for help, the help always comes.”

 

Have you fell into the Sough of Despond? Have you ever felt like the harder you try, the deeper you sink? In today’s scripture the psalmist cries out in the Sough of Despond:

 

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!” (vv. 1-2)

 

The Lord the Creator

Last week I shared that a group of fifteen psalms (Psalms 120-134) were set apart as “A Song of Ascents.” Psalm 121 is one of the songs that pilgrims sang as they made their way to Jerusalem. Since topographically Jerusalem was the highest place in Palestine, the pilgrims spent much of their time ascending. As they were ascending and lifting up their eyes, they would see hills and mountains of Jerusalem. And they would see particularly the temple of Solomon built on Mount Moriah (2 Chronicles 3:1). Hebrew pilgrims honored Abraham as their father who himself was a pilgrim and set out, not knowing where he was going. They believed in the God of Abraham. And they always remembered the story of “Jehovah Jireh” which had happened on Mount Moriah. God promised Abraham, “It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named for you” (Heb 11:18). But then, God said, “Sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering!” (Gen 22:2) These two words seemed to be mutually contradictory and inconsistent. Probably Abraham’s heart was troubled. But, he considered God faithful who would keep his promise somehow. He reasoned that if Isaac died, God would be able to bring him back to life again. As he was climbing Mount Moriah, Abaham would lift up his eyes to the mountains and prayed to God who made heaven, and earth, and mountains. He built an altar, laid the wood, bound his son Isaac, and then reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his only son. Right at the moment the Help did come. God provided a ram. After this experience, Abraham called that place “Jehovah Jireh.” Normally it is translated as “The Lord will provide.” But the literal translation would be “The Lord sees.” In other words, for God to see is to provide. Abraham believed that if the Lord sees, he will provide. That is sufficient.

 

Our God is the Creator, who made heaven and earth. Our God gives life to the dead and makes something out of nothing with his powerful word. Deism says God created the universe and then abandoned it. Pantheism says creation has no story or purpose; it is only a part of God. But Christianity says there is a God, who creates, preserves, governs, sustains, sees, provides. Our God is continually, personally and powerfully involved in his creation, and fulfills his divine purpose. Feeling anxious? Stuck? Despondent? Lift up your eyes to the Lord!

 

The Lord the Shepherd

Then, the psalmist continues praising God and tells us how different he is from other gods:

 

“He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.

He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (vv. 3-4)

 

In ancient Israel pagans conceived that their gods would be just like them who need to eat, rest, and sleep, but the God of Israel is unlike any other manmade god. He does not need to recreate, eat, or sleep. Our God is always there to “help” 24/7. Our God is the “shepherd” who protects, guides, and sacrifices for his own sheep. As Hebrew pilgrims sang Psalm 121, they were reminded of the great pilgrimage of their ancestors from Egypt to Canaan. They remembered how God redeemed and delivered Israel out of Egypt with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. They remembered how God faithfully fed them day by day, sustained them, supplied all their needs in the wilderness for 40 years. Our God is sufficient for the needs of our pilgrim journey even when we feel like we are surrounded and battered by troubles.

 

There is a Korean poem based on Exodus 14, the “crossing the Red Sea” chapter, that I always recite every time I feel like there is no way out. Its rough translation is like this:

 

When you are hard pressed on every side by troubles,

Before you is the Red sea,

Behind you are the Egyptians,

On the one side is a range of hills and mountains,

On the other side are forts of Egypt,

Then, begin to sing and praise God, and thank him ahead of time,

Because it is time God will work for you!

 

The Bible says, “No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor 10:13, NRSV). Our God is faithful. Our God is able. Our God is sufficient. So lift up your eyes to the Lord!  

 

The Lord the Companion

In the eight verses of Psalm 121 the word “guard” or “keep” (shamar) occurs six times. The psalmist wants to make sure that we understand that God has got us covered.

 

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.

The Lord will keep your going out and coming in

from this time on and forevermore. (vv. 5-8)

 

Then, what does it mean that the Lord will keep us from all evil and keep our life? Does it mean that we never get sick, never get sunstroke, never have any emotional problems? No! In our daily lives, just like everyone else, we Christians face the same life challenges, get the same diseases, fear the same dangers. But the difference is that as we walk each step, we know we are accompanied by God. We know God’s got us covered. We know we have the best insurance policy, which covers “all our activity” wherever we are and whatever we do, starting from now and forever. So, no matter what testing we endure or what troubles we experience, the Lord will keep us from all evil. He will be with us and keep our life always.

 

Look Up, Lift Up

In his book The Dance of Hope, Bill Frey remembers the day he tried to pull a stump out of the ground. He was eleven years old at the time. One of his chores was the gathering of firewood for the small stove and fireplace of the homestead. One day he found a large stump in an open field near the house and tried to pull it out. He literally pushed and pulled and crowbarred for hours, but the root system was so deep and large he simply couldn’t pull it out of the ground. He was still struggling when my father came home from his office, spotted him working and came over to watch. “I think I see your problem,” the father said. “What’s that?” he asked. “You’re not using all your strength,” he replied. Bill exploded and told the dad how hard he had worked and for how long. “No,” he said, “you’re not using all your strength.” When he cooled down, he asked his father what he meant, and he said, “You haven’t asked me to help you yet.”[1]

 

On our pilgrim journey there are times when we face circumstances far beyond our natural ability to overcome. Pulling giant stumps out of the ground. Standing before the Red Sea. Struggling in the Slough of Despond. The good news is we don’t have to do it alone. The psalmist commends us to present the challenge to the Father and ask for help. When we ask for help, the Helper always comes. So don’t look within. If you look to yourself, you will only see darkness. Don’t look around. If you look to others, you will be disappointed. Instead, look up! Lift up your eyes to the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth! Then, just in time the Lord will surely come and help, and he will watch over your very life to the end. Amen.

 

 

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[1] William C. Frey, The Dance of Hope: Finding Ourselves in the Rhythm of God’s Great Story (Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press, 2003), 175. quoted in Max Lucado, Anxious for Nothing (p. 221). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.