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Anna B. Warner wrote this wonderful song that most everyone has heard about. It was first written in 1860 in a novel called “Say and Seal.” It is a story about a sick little boy named Johnny Fax who is comforted by his Sunday school teacher, John Linden. He rocks the child in his arms, and when Johnny asks him to sing, John begins to sing this four-stanza hymn.

It wasn’t meant to go further than the book, but William Bradbury was so impressed by the poem that he composed a childlike melody that was so catchy that it is said that this song teaches God’s grace in a nutshell, and it became one of the best evangelical tools. It was so popular that Christian missionaries would use this song to help the native people learn to speak English. The song broke down language barriers, and it was all about God’s amazing love. What is this song? Jesus Loves Me!

I want to share with you another powerful song: Psalm 121. The Israelites would sing it to one another as they were traveling up to Jerusalem. It was a song that they would sing to one another to remind them of who their God is.

Psalm 121 is one of the Songs of Ascent (Psalm 120-134). These are a collection of songs that Israelites would sing as they would travel on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. These are songs that they would sing to one another as they were on that path. These Psalms are also important for us to be reminded of right now in this moment. Our world right now is filled with a lot of anxiety; Psalm 121 gives us the answer to our hope.

The first thing we see in verses 1-2 of this Psalm, is that God is our source of strength. The Psalmist says, “I lift my eyes to the hills” Now Jerusalem is built on a hill. Wherever you come from, if you were going to Jerusalem you would be going up. You would be looking up into the hills. When the pilgrims saw these hills…they would start singing these songs. “I lift my eyes up to the hills.”

Now, the hills can either be positive or negative. If the Psalmist’s is giving the hills a positive meaning, then he talking about these hills representing where God’s dwelling place is, where the temple is. But, more likely, the Psalmists is refereeing to these hills in a negative manner, because these hills represent danger. They represent fear. Why would these hills be represented by fear? Bandits and robbers would hang out in these hills. They would attack people that were coming alone or people that were traveling in small groups.

Not only did you have the worry of robbers, but you also had the worry about the heat, of the sun that could beat down upon you. Then the worry of your foot slipping and falling off a ledge at various points. This is the danger that the Psalmist is referring to. That is why when Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan, it makes so much sense to them; these hills represent danger. The pilgrim says, “I lift my eyes to the hills,” where the source of danger is.

Then he asks this question “from where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” He reminds them of who they are and Who they worship. The sovereign God who created those hills that you are so scared of, that is where your help comes from. He says that there is nothing in all creation for you to fear because you know the Creator, the One who created all things, and He is sovereignly in control.

But he goes on and he tells them that not only is God our Source of Strength, but God is also our source of support. In verses 3-4 we see that God is our Source of Support. “He will not let your foot be moved.”

This again is an illustration from this kind of traveling up this steep hill, that there are certain parts of this hill where you might fall off. He says here: “He will not let your foot be moved.” He will not let you trip or stumble or fall into harm. Notice here that God is our Sovereign Creator, but He is also our Caring Savior. God cares about us. The Psalmist reminds us that God is holding your hand. He will not let you be moved, He will not let you fall. He will guard and protect you.

That does not mean that we will not face trials, challenges, and difficulties. It does not mean that we will not get sick. It does not even mean that we will not die. It means that God will be with us in those moments, and He will walk with us through all that.

The next verse tells us that, “He who keeps you…” This word “keep” is so important. In this passage you will see that it is used repeatedly. Keep means to protect, to guard, to watch over and to take care of. The author is obviously trying to empathize with this reality again. God will protect you. God will guard you. God will watch over you. God will take care of you. He is your keeper.

He says, “He who keeps you will not…sleep.” You know that sleep is a sign of weakness. It is the reason that you and I must sleep. If you go many days without sleeping, you are going to die. You and I cannot go that long without sleep because we are weak and frail. We need to sleep. God does not. God has no weakness; He does not sleep. He is infinite, powerful, and strong. He is always ready, always awake, always powerful, always ready to move. This is what the Psalmist reminds us.

Friends, are you focusing too much on fear that you are missing where God wants to lead you? You’re not supposed to be afraid for fear’s sake. If we experience fear, it is meant to point us to the One upon whom we are absolutely dependent. Are you being reminded daily of who He is and what His character is?

Until Next Week When We Meet at the P.E.W.

(Pastor’s Encouragement Weekly)

Pastor Joel