The Lord is Our Helper and Our Protector (Psalm 121:1-8)
Two years ago I went with my youngest to South Korea and we visited the DMZ, where you can catch a glimpse of North Korea. While there we decided to visit the Third Tunnel, it was named after the third tunnel discovered by the south, a tunnel dug by the North in an attempt to conquer the South in the aftermath of the Korean war. To get to the tunnel involved walking down a very, very steep slope covering a stretch of about 250m. Upon reaching the bottom of the slope, you are taken through another through tunnel for about 250m before you have to turn back. The tunnel is pretty narrow and low, for a tall person you would have to bend down most of the way. By the time I came out of the tunnel I was exhausted and even though the temperature was below 10 I was perspiring. Staring down at me was the very very steep 250m slope. At mid-point I felt my lung bursting and if there a lift or an escalator I would have jumped on it. I tried to rest a bit but it did not help because I still had to do the steep climb up. At that point you really feel like you are going to die but I had no choice but to press on one small step at a time. By the time I reached the top, it took me another 15min to catch my breath.
Life at times can be one very steep slope and there are moments when you feel like giving up. You try to rest but even though the body is tired but you are just too tired to rest and when you try closing your eyes, your misery intensifies. And when you finally get to sleep, you do not find yourself well rested because the moment you wake up, your mind is weighed down again. It is very tempting to just end it all. What hope do we have in such situations?
Let us look to the pilgrims in the psalms as they make their way up to Jerusalem traversing through difficulties and hardships along the way and let us find strength and comfort from the songs that they sang as they journey along.
The passage we are looking at this morning found in Psalm 121, it is the second of 15 Psalms known as the songs ascents. The 15 songs are made up of 5 sets of three and in each set we see distress in the first, power in the second and security in the third.
We began by looking at the distress last Sunday found in Psalms 120. Psalms 120 ends with a note of sadness as we hear the Pilgrim lamenting living amidst deceit and strife.
As they walked away from the lies and the strives, they sang a second song, a song that is now filled with hope and anticipation as they begin their journey towards the place and peoples of God’s presence on earth.
Although they are walking away from the deceit and the strife but still the road towards their destination is fraught with danger. They face the danger of being attacked and robbed, danger of getting hurt and injured in their travelling because the road they travel was not an easy road. They know that but still their song is filled with hope, a song of faith and trust. Let us as pilgrims traversing through this world learn to join with the pilgrims of old in singing this song of hope, this song of trust and faith.
The Lord watches over us every step of the way.
The big idea for our sermon this morning is the Lord watches over us every step of the way.
And I will be taking us through two mains points. The first point is let us trust in the Lord to help us (Ps 121:1-2) and the second point is we can trust in the Lord because He watches over us at all times (Ps 121:3-4), shades us from danger at all times (Ps 121:5-6) and protects us from all harm at all times (Ps 121:7-8).
Let us trust in the Lord to help us (Ps 121:1-2)
Join as we take this journey with the pilgrim listening in the song they sang, singing, “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?”
I wonder as they lift their eyes to the hills, what was in their mind? Could it be the unknown danger lurking behind those hills. Some robbers waiting to pounce, some hungry beast waiting to devour them or eve some difficult paths that they may have to navigate. Or were they looking to the hills and seeing the pagan altars and Asherah poles, which was there to remind the pagans of their gods which is a pretty common sight. And perhaps they could be wondering of their would come from the pagan gods? Well thankfully we do not have to second guess.
Fact is they have the answer, they already know the answer when they sang these verses, listen to their answer, “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”
They know their help comes not from the gods, but from The Creator God, the One and Only God. What we hear is the resounding sound of confidence.
“My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. (Ps 121:2)”
Dear ones, as children of the living God, we too can and must have that kind of confidence.
Our confidence must not lie in the idols that we hold dear in our lives, idols such as our wealth and our possessions. We must not look to the things of this world for security. No matter what life throws at us, we can and must as people redeemed by the Lord say with absolute confidence, “My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”
Friends, our help comes from the LORD, and who is this Lord? He is none other than the Lord of lords, He is the LORD who made heaven and earth. Who can offer a much better help than the One who made heaven and earth? We are talking about the God of all creation. He is the God who is our help.
When I did badly in school and wanted transfer to another school so that I could take another course, I was fortunate enough to know of an older friend who has a certain level of power to make it happen. When I came out to work, I soon begin to realised that the closure of deals often goes beyond just your sales pitch, relationships offers better security, who you know matters. Relationship matters. Friends, we who are in Christ, we have a relationship with God whom we can call our Father. The God whom the very existence of the world is dependent upon. He is the God who is our helper. Who or what in this world be a better helper than our God. He is our Father in heaven, what better security can we find?
But what does it really mean for us that God is our helper? How can that tangibly look like?
In the course of my pastoral ministry, there were moments when I find myself facing overwhelming odds. My heart was weighed down and I feel totally helpless and alone, surrounding me were mounting challenges. I tell you during those times, I really wanted to just walk away. I remember a particularly difficult week. I received a very nasty anonymous letter and come Sunday while I stood at the pulpit to pray, I look down at the congregation and my heart was overwhelmed with grief and concern wondering if the anonymous writer is in the midst of the congregation. I was sad not so much for myself but for the person who wrote the letter who claim to be a friend. And I just sobbed out loud, I was not just tearing but sobbing.
During these difficult moments, I really want to give up, throw in the towel as the saying goes, but what kept me going. God. How? For me it began with me raising my hand. As I raise my hand up to God and say I surrender, I realised I need to surrender to Him and not to my circumstances. That week God provided me comfort and assurance through His ordinary means of grace. I found comfort and encouragement from the community of believers He has placed before me. I had members calling me and speaking encouraging truths to me. I put on a bit weight that week. As I read His word during the course of the week, I found much comfort and reassurance. Friends the thing, until today I do not know who wrote the letter and what prompted the person to write it. What I do know is even though moments when I felt all alone, God never left me alone. The challenges of ministry did not go way but each time I face with difficulties I know I can turn to God. But often I turn to Him with shame and confession because I realise I seldom turn to Him when times are good and all is well. But often during those tough moments when I felt the intense need to draw near to God, God shows Himself to be faithful even when I have been unfaithful. He showered with His grace and He never fail to draw me to Himself.
We can trust in the Lord
As we unpack the passage what can be observed is the Pilgrims’ assurance and confident insight seems to be endorsed by another voice, speaking with religious authority. What do I mean?
Let us listen to the rest of the songs, continuing with Psalm 121:3-4, “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.”
In response to the pilgrim’s confident declaration that his help comes from the creator God, we hear an authoritative voice of affirmation, giving further assurance to the pilgrim that he is under the ever present protection of the Lord. This would be very real to the original readers for it would certainly remind them of the Exodus where the ever presence of the Lord was with the people as they journey through the wilderness. In Exodus 13:21, it is written, “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night”.
They know clearly what it means that the Lord who keeps Israel will neither slumber or sleep.
What about us? What does it mean for us?
For young parents keeping vigil over their child who is not well, it means we can rest in the assurance that even when we are overcome with fatigue, we have a loving Father who will neither slumber nor sleep and He watches over us and He watches over our children.
What it means for all parent who worry over their child when they start school, when they go overseas or army, is we can cast our anxieties unto the Lord, because He will watch over our children all the time.
What it means for us when we feel alone in our struggle, we can rest in the assurance of knowing that our God is always with us, protecting us 24/7 because He neither slumber nor sleep.
The voice continues to assure the pilgrims, for not only the Lord watches over His people at all times but He also shades them from danger at all times, listen to the voice of assurance in Psalm 121:5-6, “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.”
What these verses assures the pilgrim of is the protection of the Lord, the Lord is your keeper, He is your protector, He will keep you from harm.
During the day when facing the scorching heat of the desert sun, the heat can be lethal, as it causes dehydration and stroke. At night when the moon shines, dangers stalk under the cover of darkness both in the form of wild animals and in the form of wicked humans. In the face of these dangers, the people can be assured of perpetual protection from the Lord, there is no threat to his people that can catch him unaware.
What does it mean for us?
We can and must trust in the Lord for protection. He who protects the pilgrims is the same God who will protect us. However, friends, I know the realities in life is such that even as Christians, there is no guarantee that harm will not come to us, sickness will not overcome us, no guarantee that no accidents will occur in our lives. Christians are not immune from murder or abuse. We have a high probability of experiencing persecution as followers of our King Jesus.
So what protection are we talking about?
Under the sovereign grace of God, we can be healed from illnesses, we can be protected from harm. The people of God have experience the very tangible protection of God. The pilgrims experience very tangible protection in their travels.
So I am not telling us not to trust God when we pray for God’s protection and when we pray for the healing of our love ones. We must place our trust in God and rest in the assurance of His promise.
But what I am saying is even when in our prayers we do not receive the desired outcome, we must still trust in the Lord, even in the most difficult of circumstances
As a child of God we may still be injured physically and harm may come to us and we all one day will still have to die but we need not be afraid because God is watching over us.
We can trust that it is God Himself who personally watches over us.
We can trust that it is God Himself who personally watches over us. No matter what happen in this life God will not allow any of His children to be harm and be taken away from Him. Even death cannot harm a child of God because even in death the child of God will not be separated from His Loving Father in heaven. Even when we face difficulties in life, the child of God knows that God is still with them and protecting them by giving the child the means to walk through the trials and adversities. There are times when God allows His children to suffer in order to draw us to Himself, He allows pain and suffering that we may learn to anchor our hope in Christ.
We may not be able to fully comprehend this but friends we live in a fallen world, there will be sufferings and the child of God is not spared from it but the child of God is protected from any permanent harm because the sufferings the child of God goes through is meant for the ultimate good of the child of God. Even though it may not be appreciated at the time of suffering. Think about it, when do we really experience the fullness of His grace, often it is not when things are going well but when God takes us through a tough period in our lives.
The pilgrims in their journey are not spared from physical fatigue, they still feel the heat of the sun and they still shudder under the cold air of the night but they can find peace and security in knowing that God is with them, watching over them day and night, protecting them from harm both day and night.
Thus they can journey with confidence as they find comfort in the word of the Lord as they sing the final refrain in Psalm 121:7-8, “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.”
Here in these verses are further assurances to the pilgrims as they ascend to Jerusalem that the Lord will keep them from all harm at all times.
Let us not forget the pilgrims’ journey began with them walking away from the deceits and the strives. The word of assurance to them is the Lord will protect them from these evils but it is not just that for it includes keeping their lives implying physical protection. The main theme is the Lord’s protection keeps the psalmist in every area of life. Whether the psalmist experiences external foes or internal fears, he can be confident that the Lord is watching over him.
And finally it closes with what must be very reassuring for the pilgrims, the Lord watches over their going out and coming in and it is not not just in the present but way into the eternal future. Here is the picture of continual protective care.
Let us try to get a taste of the comfort felt by the original hearers. Having experience the deceits and the strifes, they hear the Lord saying to them, from now on, from this very moment the Lord will watch over you and He is not going to stop watching over you, there is not a point in time that he will cease to watch over you.
That is true for the pilgrims and it is true for us as current day pilgrims as we journey form this world to our eternal home.
To my fellow saints, we are pilgrims in this world, our journey will be filled with difficulties, there will be sufferings, there will be tribulations and hardships, but we can be assured that God is our Helper. He watches over us at all times (Ps 121:3-4). He shades us from danger at all times (Ps 121:5-6). He protects us from all harm at all times (Ps 121:7-8).
In times of doubt let us look to the pilgrims as they sing with confidence their songs of ascent, let us look to the saints before us who have cluing on in faith and has finish the race and most important know we have Saviour who understands this journey that we embarked on. For our Lord, the eternal Son of the living God, came to us as a man just like us only He is without sin. He came to live the life that we were supposed to live in order He can take upon Himself the penalty we were supposed to pay. He too was a “pilgrim” while He was here, for He too long to be with His Father as He journey through this world. I can imagine Him finding comfort as man form the words of this Psalms believing and trusting that the God of all creation watched over Him. Jesus has walked the path of a pilgrim.
No matter how small our faith may be let us rest in the assurance the Lord is our Helper at all times and in all circumstances.
Dear ones, I know it is easy to say to one another trust in the Lord when we go through bad times but often we have very little faith to trust in the Lord especially when faced with very challenging circumstances. There are even moments in our lives when we are so overwhelmed that we do not want to pray or may not even believe that the Lord cares for us, that the Lord is our helper. But listen my fellow pilgrims, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, our faith may be small or we may feel like we cannot really trust in God’s word that He is indeed our helper because we do not see it but that does not change the fact that God is our Helper and it does not mean He will not help us because our faith is small. The God who cares for the birds and the lilies in the valley is the Lord who cares so much more for us not because we have great faith but because He is a Great God. No matter how small our faith may be let us rest in the assurance the Lord is our Helper at all times and in all circumstances.
To our friends present here with us this morning, if you are not yet a follower of Jesus may I invite to join us in following our King Jesus. Our sin has separated us from God, our rejection of God as our Lord and king, our rebellion against His rule over us has condemned us to hell for all eternity. But in Jesus there is hope, in Jesus we can change our destination for hell to heaven, from eternal separation from God to eternal fellowship with God. What is required of you is to confess your sins believe in Jesus and submit to Him as your Lord and Saviour. I invite you to come speak to me, or to your friends brought you here, we will love to share more with you.
To my fellow pilgrims, perhaps in your journey through life you may feel a bit down and discourage and in your pilgrim song you may be singing from Psalm 120:6b-7, “Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!”
But I want to encourage to look up and see that your help come from the Lord and in knowing may you with confidence sing from Psalm 121:7-8, “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.”
And in turn we encourage one and seek the good of others as we rest in the confidence of knowing that one day we will reach our destination where we can rejoice in the presence of Our God always. Let us join with the pilgrims as they sing in Psalm 122:8-9, “For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!” For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.”
Let us pray.