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.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade on 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 your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
This Psalm is one of the “Psalms of Ascent”. The Israelite people sang them as they traveled from their homes all over the land to go up to Jerusalem, to Mt. Zion for the annual feasts. Today we focus on one which calls on God for encouragement and help. This psalmist asks for deliverance for he is facing some crisis. He needs faith and wisdom to face and endure it.
As this psalmist traveled on up to Mt Zion, he meditated on the Lord as the source of His strength and his deliverance. Perhaps he faced threats of violence and harassment from bloodthirsty and malicious neighbors, robbers, or wild beasts, common dangers in that time and place. He prayed with assurance that the Lord would keep him safe on this journey as well as every one of his journeys through life.
God is always on the job. He never stops working or takes a rest. He is concerned with our well being and He cares for us. We may often doubt that God is so caring; and we may often feel He has deserted us so it is very important for us to bear in mind the words the Psalmist imparts to us. In spite of the perils of our journey, we can always trust in the Lord. He is not too great to care, and we are not so small that He does not notice us.