Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
This is a special Psalm. It communicates the heart of God to safeguard his people. He does desire to bless and protect. He does promise to secure his people. Five times the Hebrew word Shamar is used—“to watch.” God is like a mom keeping tabs on her children at the playground. What a beautiful truth this is about the Lord; he is a protector.
Yet, the world is still full of calamity and chaos. Bad things still happen to good people. Notice the psalmist is still needing to lift up his eyes (v 1) to look for salvation because he’s in the middle of a situation. The psalmist still has to remind himself, and us, that when bad things happen it doesn’t mean God is sleeping on the job (v 3). And when bad things happen God’s faithful people can be confident that we are still under the canopy of his loving protection (v 5).
Within our communities God has called us to protect one another instead of instigate evil or live self-interestedly. I’m grateful for the various ways the Lord calls us to guard one another. He has called each of us to be our “brother’s keeper”—to keep an eye on what will harm or benefit our neighbors (Exodus 23:4-5). He has called teachers to guard the truths that we walk in (Titus 1:9). He has called moms and dads to guard their children’s future (Proverbs 22:5-6). He has called each of us to guard our hearts from wickedness (Proverbs 4:23). He has called pastor-shepherds to guard their flocks (Acts 20:28). He called the community to protect the economically endangered (Exodus 22:22-27). He has called governments to protect people from wrongdoers (Romans 13:4). And he has called watchmen warriors to provide defense for their cities (Ezekiel 3:17).
If life is valuable then it’s worth protecting—In every way! I’m grateful to the men and women who have devoted their lives to protecting what God calls valuable. I grieve with those families who have lost children in the latest school shooting in Texas last week. Violence grieves the heart of God and is the farthest thing from God’s purposes for us. The Bible says of Noah’s day, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence…The Lord was grieved that he had made mankind on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” (Genesis 6:11, 6)
May we all be agents of God’s loving protection, filled with his wisdom, overflowing with compassion, and relentless in truth and justice. And may he raise up another generation of selfless guardians who do no harm to the innocent, but rather protect the innocent and safeguard the sacred life and liberty with which we worship our God and enjoy his blessings! Happy Memorial Day and a special thank you to all of our families who have served, or are currently serving to defend our freedom. Thank you for your sacrifice.
Tags: memorial day; psalm 121; watchman; protect; guard;
