Where do we look for help? Often the last thing we do is pray or spend time listening for and to God. God is always available to us, and as we in New Zealand are in the heat of summer and are feeling the effects of the sun striking us by day I can see where the psalmist is pointing. It is easy in the heat of the sun to be overwhelmed, to become tired and headachy to get sun stroke. In the same way spiritually if we are not careful we can get overwhelmed. In the Sermon on the Mount, Matt 6.33 Jesus calls us to “seek ye first the kingdom of the God and all its righteousness” Will you look for God first!
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 – I Lift My Eyes Up To The Hills
I Lift my eyes up to the hills, from where will my help come?
My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
I seek His face; He alone knows who I am, and what I’ll become
He is my creator, he has know me in the womb, before birth
He is aware of all my cares and needs, all of them, not just some
He listens to my concerns and doesn’t treat them with mirth
He calls me to listen to him fully, and not let my mind roam
For his word does not return void, he will guide me on this earth
He will not let your foot be moved, He who keeps you will not slumber
He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep
You can know Your God knows you by name, you are not a number
You may face challenges, sometimes they will be deep
The burden you carry may be heavy and you encumber
Your God is always with you and will to your rescue leap
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
He will protect you in all places; in the air, on the sea, and on land
He is your protection against Satan, for you He will fight
In times of difficulty, he is the one who carries you across the sand
Though you may fall, he upholds you, in you he takes delight
The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life
The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore
He is your protector; he will overcome all your strife
He is always with you, you need not be afraid or dismayed, and He is the victor in the war
He has won the victory, His promise to you eternal life
He will lift you up, on eagles wings you will soar.
Mark Maffey, November 2005
(NRSV)