Some Bible scholars have divided the book of Psalms into eight categories. One such category is the Songs of Ascent. Songs of Ascent are a special subset of songs. The word for “Ascent” refers to a pilgrimage upward – to the city of Jerusalem. The Law required Jews to make their way to the temple for certain festivals every year. These songs may have been a means of preparing the travelers’ hearts for worship – and we all know a good song can help pass the time on a long trip. All the Songs of Ascent are grouped together. There are 15 such songs from Psalm 120-134.
Psalm 121 speaks of our help coming from the Lord. Most of us have heard the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” The question is, “Where is it they get going?” And, what do the fragile do, and where do they go? Where do we go when the storms of life hit us? The thought that leads us to Psalm 121 is that freedom does not come by denying the ultimate threats we face but through knowing the God who has conquered all things.
What does Psalm 121 speak of? Psalm 121 speaks of the threats of nature, evil, and death, and the God who is there through it all. Bible scholars have recognized Psalm 121 as a meditation due to the question raised in verse 1, “From where does my help come?” The thought of Psalm 121 moves from acknowledging the need for help (vv.1-2) to the character of that help (vv. 3-8).
We live in a culture that teaches a myth of ultimate self-reliance and self-sufficiency. We wrongly think, “I am the captain of my own fate and the commander of my destiny.” Here is a truth from Psalm 121. In life, we will face situations beyond our resources and understanding, where we need help.
What is help? Help is the admission that I need to ask someone for something beyond myself. Verse 2 answers the question, “From where does my help come” (v. 1b)? The answer is, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (v. 2). We are to look to the God who spoke the world into existence, Who placed the planets in orbit around the sun, Who brings order to all of life, Who made heaven, the angels, and the world and all that dwell in it. Here is the complete truth from Psalm 121. In life, we need help, and ultimately we are to seek help from the Lord.
There is no better help than that afforded us from our eternal, living God. The psalmist proceeds to tell us the character of help offered by the Lord in verses 3-8. What is the character of God’s help? First, God is our keeper (vv. 3-4). He is our foundation keeping us on His solid ground. The Lord is also our shade (vv. 5-6). He is our protector. Lastly, God is our preserver (vv. 7-8). He saves and maintains our souls. This is the help we need and the help we get from God when we enter into a saving relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.
We would be amiss if we didn’t see Christ in this psalm. It is easy to go through life feeling vulnerable. We feel vulnerable to financial ruin, physical illness, relational rejection, and emotional meltdown. At times we feel small, weak, and defenseless. However, we need to be mindful that the God who created the universe never ceases to watch over and actively protect us. Our Lord is never distracted, never turns away. In fact, our God never slumbers.
But how can we really know? Where is the proof? The proof is Jesus Christ. He became genuinely vulnerable and exposed to adverse circumstances, even the forces of hell, receiving the judgment we deserved. He died and was resurrected so we could walk through life with the sure knowledge that we are God’s children and He is always watching over us.
I personally know that this psalm is true. God has proved help from the day I came to Christ, which now was some time ago, to today. Our Lord has been faithful through the decades of being a believer on mission with Christ. He has been my help through my undergrad and graduate educational pursuits and during my over thirty years of serving in full-time pastoral ministry. God has been present and my help in over thirty years of marriage and parenting. He has been my rock and salvation in crises after crises, times of stress, and when I have experienced loss and grief. I have needed help, and ultimately my help has been the Lord who has preserved my going out and coming in, and He will keep on doing it into the never-ending future. This is not just true for me but for everyone who has come to receive salvation in Christ. Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!