Lift Up Your Eyes!

This morning I thought I would reflect on Psalm 121.  It has been a while since I spent much time in the Psalms, but I sure do love them.  This PSalm is relatively short, so I will share it in its entirety.

Psalm 121:1-8 NIV:

[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."

This Psalm is considered one of the songs of ascents, meaning it was one that was recited as they made their way to the temple in Jerusalem.  That being the case, it was to remind the traveler of the benefits of the Lord's presence, to help attune their heart to Him as they journeyed towards His temple.  What a great reminder of God's presence and His care and watching over us.

I like that is calls us to lift up our eyes, to consider where our help is coming from.  I find that in the midst of trouble I can be so focused on the trouble, I can be so focused on it, that I forget everything else.  As the pilgrim made their way to Jerusalem, especially the last few miles, they might have benn able to glimpse the Temple, for it was built on Mt. Zion.

For us, we can lift our eyes off our present situation and regard God, who is our source of all help, provision and all good things.  As we consider the remaining lines of this song, let us be encouraged that God does watch over us, does support us and help us to walk through difficult times.  He will guide us and protect us if we entrust ourselves to Him and His help.

I am reminded of another set of verses where God speaks to the people through His prophet Isaiah 48:17-18 NIV:

[17] "This is what the Lord says---your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. [18] If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea."

Our attention is important in our ability to walk in the ways of God.  He does watch over us and protect us, but His desire is that He might lead and we follow.  He desires more than just adherence to a set of rules, for He is looking for relationship.  He will teach us and guide us, but we must look to Him, pay attention and listen.  He will not force us to follow His ways, it is our choice, to pay attention or not.

Much like our school years, when we had to give our attention to our teachers to really learn what they were teaching us, the Lord is looking to us to learn to listen, to learn to turn our attention to Him. These days there are many things that will draw our attention away form the Lord, and we are the ones who have to choose what we will listen too.

So this morning I am encouraged to lift up my eyes to look to Him, and attune my ears to listen to Him.  He desires to lead me and guide me, and I must choose to follow.  I was just reminded of several videos I have seen where people are paying so much attention to their phones that they walk into signposts, fall into pools, all sorts of accidents that wouldn't happen if they were giving their attention to their surroundings. I don't want to be like one of them!

Amen!