Perfect Guardian
Opening Prayer
Lord, Your protection of me is one of the most cherished possessions I enjoy.
Read Psalm 121
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.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
“Leave it all quietly to God, my soul, my rescue comes from him alone; Rock, rescue, refuge, he is all to me” (George Appleton, 1902–1993).
The repetition of key words often gives us a significant hint about the theme of a biblical passage. The Hebrew root “sh-m-r” occurs six times in this psalm. The NIV renders it as “watch over” (3,4,5,7b,8) or “keep” (7a). The frequent use of this root highlights the psalmist’s great confidence in God as a protector.
What does God’s protection look like? New parents understand what “sleepless nights” mean, but even 24/7 human care has its limit. God, in contrast, cares for us day and night; he neither slumbers nor sleeps (3,4). He will watch over us “both now and for evermore” (8b): that translates into eternity. God not only offers daily protection now, but he will remain vigilant at all times in guarding us.
From what does God protect us? He will keep us from “all harm” (7a). Nothing can randomly hurt his children, not even the sun or the moon (6). Verse 5 reads, “The Lord is your shade at your right hand,” which underscores his close protection of us. He shades us from the scorching sun. He will guard our “coming and going” (8), which means daily work, making trips or pilgrimage. God will bring us home safely wherever we go. To sum up, the Lord guards his child from harm: whatever, wherever and forever. How can he do that? Very simple: he made heaven and earth (2).
Psalm 121, a song for ascents, offers comfort and assurance to many people at times of trouble. When the pilgrims move toward Jerusalem, in the
Judean hills, they lift up their eyes to the mountains, gaining the strength to get through the rugged mountains before meeting God in the Temple.
Apply
Let’s lift up our eyes to the mountains, where our perfect guardian dwells.
Closing prayer
Lord, thank You for preserving my soul as well as my body from all harm.
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