The Lord is your keeper
Hello Bride of Christ,
Ever stay up all night watching over someone? I remember the first night, my son, Sasha was in my custody. I sat up just looking at him while he slept. I was in awe of all the Lord had done to bring us together. I was also looking out for the night tremors people told me to expect, because it was common for newly adopted children to wake up scared and disoriented. I also remember the first night caring for my first newborn son at home. Watching over him making sure he was still breathing and did not roll over or get tangled up in his swaddle. I even remember the nights staying up watching over my Abuela to make sure she did not get up in the middle of the night and wander. Through all these times there are some consistent threads: fear, anxiousness, and lack of sleep leading to exhaustion and burn out. Oh how I am so thankful God is not man that He should need sleep!
"He who keeps you will not slumber." Psalm 121:3
Life will always bring us to a place where we will need to seek help outside of ourselves. How we respond when we recognize we are in said situation is so critical to our spiritual, physical, and mental health. Here in Psalm 121 David, King David the shepherd boy, speaks for us during these times of needing help beyond ourselves through this lovely song.
He begins, "I will lift up my eyes to the hills- From whence comes my help?" (Psalm 121:1) Notice the first two words, "I will." David is declaring a decision he has made. He will not let this problem or place of lacking cause him to look down to the ground or bring him down mentally. He has decided to look up and ask the question, "Where does my help come from?" David sets his eyes on a creation's mighty mountain. Often our problems feel like mountains- immovable, daunting, a lot of effort and preparation to climb or walk around. Jesus recognized that our problems often felt and looked like mountains to us, so He encouraged us in the gospel of Matthew that if we had faith of a mustard seed we would be able to say to the mountain 'move from here to there'! Are we setting our eyes on creation and asking the question?
Paul in the book of Romans tells us that creation speaks of the source of help invisible attributes (Romans 1:20). Before Paul, as David looks at this mountain and asks his question sings on and recognizes, "My help comes from the Lord, Who made the heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:2) David recognized the Lord as his source for help. As if the qualification of making heaven and earth were not enough to bring confidence and trust in the source to solve our mountainous problem David continues to sing of the Lord's attributes.
"He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep." (Psalm 121:3-4) David goes from first person to second person in these verses. David started focus on his own decision to look up at creation which lead him to be reminded of the Lord, which fueled him to sing to the people and be a source of encouragement to them. Although David was facing a mountainous problem he was able to be a source of encouragement to all of Israel and even us right now. He sings of the Lord's amazing care of us! David reminds us all that we cannot be overtaken by the problem because the Lord will not let us be moved. Even as I or you in our human ability have tried to care for someone all through the night, the Lord does not slumber, but cares for us all the time.
"The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night." (Psalm 121: 5-6) The Lord has a 24/7 watch on you. David reminds us that nothing that happens to us goes unnoticed by the Lord. He is our keeper! What greater keeper is there to have?
"The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore." (Psalm 121:7-8) Preserve means to maintain not keep from. So David sings and declares the Lord will maintain us through evil and bad times, He will maintain our souls, and maintain us as we move about this earth ALWAYS!
Bride of Christ, you can rest easy! The Lord is your keeper. He is also the keeper of all those you care for and are looking out for or trying to help. Only the Lord is equipped to satisfy our need because He is the maker of heaven and earth who does not sleep, but instead preserves those who seek Him. So do not delay, seek after the Lord, look up to the mountains or creation that surrounds you today, and choose to wait on the Lord and begin to taste of His goodness and His ever present help in time of need or peace. For the Lord is your keeper who keeps watch over you!
