May 12 – Is Never Asleep

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.” -  Psalm 121:1-3 (ESV)

The title “Song of Ascents” identifies each of the Psalms 120–134 as a pilgrim song which was sung when the Israelites “ascended” (went up) to Jerusalem for the annual feasts. Festivals and feasts were very important annual events in Jewish life.  The pilgrim-psalmist, as he contemplated his own spiritual journey while walking the roads through the hills to Jerusalem. He asked where his help came from. It was a rhetorical question framed in the song for  he knew.  He had found the answer to this question in the affirmation of his faith that the Lord. It was the Lord God who created heaven and earth, including those hills. God was his only Source of help. God’s people then and today are encouraged to trust the living God because He will bless them all.  Verse 3 has our promise for today, and every day.  God is watching over us on our journey. We need not look to anyone but Him for the help we need. He will not let our foot to slip; and He never dozes off. God takes no naps or ever go to sleep and he guards us going and coming. 

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April 21 – Held Up By Love

“When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.” Psalm 94:18 (ESV)

There are many different kinds of expressions in the song book of the Bible which we call call the Psalms. The person who composed Psalm 94 expressed appreciation to God for His help as we read in today's verse. The love of the Lord – which we considered yesterday – is everlasting.  It can give us needed support in more than one way. We may sometimes wonder how things are going to go for us, and it may be a sign of our faith becoming weak. Then, when we remember that our God loves us we find our faith strengthened. There is a change in our attitude when we stop to think about God's love. There is a benefit from this subjective change in our attitude. Let's not think, though, that the change is only a change in our thinking and due to our own effort. God is involved even in changing our thinking. By His Spirit He reminds us of what we know is true so He is actually at work in us each day and His love is holding us up.