I attended a memorial service last Saturday for the mother of a friend and Ascending Leaders staff person.
In the service, the pastor preached from Psalm 121, a Psalm that I have often read to people who are feeling anxious and have read to myself when I am feeling anxious.
1 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.
Verses 1 and 2 express a strong confidence on the part of the speaker. Some say that the speaker is saying that he looks up to the mountains and there in the mountains lies Jerusalem (you always travel up to Jerusalem) where God’s temple resided. Others say these verses are a contrast. In the mountains were the “high places” of the pagan gods. It is as if the author is saying that others may look to their gods in their “high places” for help, but he looks to the one who is maker of heaven and earth. Either way these two verses express a strong confidence in God’s provision of aid.
Notice in verse 3, the pronouns shift from first person (I) to third person (you). Someone is speaking to someone else. It could be that the author is there talking to other people declaring to them, like he declared in verse 1 and 2.
This pastor gave it another twist. Could it be that when it feels as if his foot is going to slip the author’s confidence in God wavers a bit? Could it be that verses 3 and following are the community of faith reassuring the author that God really will take care of him.
I know that I can go from a strong sense of confidence in God to a strong sense of vulnerability to danger and rejection in a matter of seconds. When you feel the earth is going to give away under your feet, do not fear the community of faith says to you, because God will not let your feet slip. When you feel as if you are left alone in danger while God is snoring in the front of the boat, don’t fret for He does not sleep. When the pressure gets so overwhelming that if feels as if you are getting a bad sunburn, God will be your sunscreen.
May those in the body of Christ reassure each other at those moments of doubt.
