Psalm 121

To leave behind all that has been part of one’s life might be difficult, even if you have determined it’s not good.  As you look to where you are headed you really don’t know what will lie ahead.  You may be able to say, “I am going to Jerusalem.”  Or you can say, “I want to know God.”  So you have a thought about the destination.  But you have no idea what the journey will be like.  And at this point you are committed to doing this even if no one else goes with you.

Further, when we say we have no idea what the journey will be like, we mean day by day or moment by moment.  Because it is possible to know that the journey will in some way be difficult.  The Psalmist has decided to leave his home somewhere in Israel and head for Jerusalem.  But here’s a fact: to go from anywhere in Israel to Jerusalem you will have to climb some serious mountains.  And in Old Testament times these mountain roads had a reputation of being a hard climb AND being full of wild animals and thieves around every corner.  This was not a journey for the weak of heart!

Thus as the pilgrim turns from his home town and looks in the direction of Jerusalem, he sees mountains.  And his first thought is rightfully, "Who is going to help me?”  And notice his immediate answer.  He doesn’t go and look for a friend at this point.  He doesn’t depend on his cell phone or his bank account or his 24/7/365 roadside service agreement.  He affirms: My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth, a reference to God he will repeat at later times of difficulty (124:8; 134:3).

Meditate on this for a moment.  How does he come to such a quick conclusion?  From the pilgrims position it makes sense: if I am going to go to where God is, certainly He should be happy about this and He will help me.  We need to know that this is perfectly good thinking because God Himself longs to have this relationship with the pilgrim.  God created us for fellowship with Him.  The defining effect of the entrance of sin into the world and into our lives was that it separated us from our Creator.  The first thing our parents (Adam and Eve) did when they sinned was to go and hide from God.  And we have been avoiding Him ever since.  It is His grace that makes our lives to be miserable in this state so that we will turn to Him and seek Him with our whole heart.

So let us be very clear.  Our journey of discipleship, of following Christ, will not be an easy one.  We will be in the mountains.  There will be a mountain lion around (1 Peter 5:8) and they can be fierce and unpredictable.  But our Creator is pleased that we are moving in His direction.  He will always be awake to keep and preserve us (v3-7; exact same Hebrew term; He will guard us, be our watchman, like a shepherd watches over his sheep; on the trail He’s our perfect Sherpa).  From this time forth and even forevermore.

Tell God you long to know Him.  And thank Him for being your Keeper!