“I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!” (Psalm 121:1-2 NLT).
Psalm 121 is one of the fifteen “Psalms of Ascent,” so named because they were written to be sung by pilgrims traveling up to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple. This psalm opens with a rhetorical question that might be paraphrased, “As I look up to Mount Zion, where God’s holy Temple stands in Jerusalem, do I look for my help from there?” To which the response might be paraphrased, “No, my help doesn’t come from a mountain, nor a temple, my help comes from the LORD, the Creator who made the heavens and the mountains of the earth!”
In singing this song, the pilgrim headed up to Jerusalem was reminded that he wasn’t going there to worship a place, but a Person. His worship and indeed, his trust, was in God alone.
Where do you turn when you need help? Do you look to the “mountains,” or to the One who made them?
PRAYER: Dear Father, we look to You for help today. Some of us are hurting and need Your healing touch. Help us. Some of us are discouraged and need Your comforting presence. Help us. Some of us are facing a great challenge and need Your strength. Help us. Forgive us when we look for help in the wrong places. Help us. In Jesus’ name, amen.