Lift Up Your Eyes...

Tuesday night before prayer meeting I was sitting in church reading my Bible when a gentleman I know came and sat beside me. He asked what I was reading and I told him Psalm 121. I told him I have been doing a study on the desert (I am actually thinking of a new book) and this particular psalm came to my mind. He asked me to read it...

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
       where does my help come from?

 My help comes from the LORD,
       the Maker of heaven and earth.

 He will not let your foot slip—
       He who watches over you will not slumber;

 indeed, He who watches over Israel
       will neither slumber nor sleep.

 The LORD watches over you—
       the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

 the sun will not harm you by day,
       nor the moon by night.

 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
       He will watch over your life;

 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

The first thing I realized in the chapter is that if the Lord made ALL the earth that means he created the desert. The hot, dry, barren, lonely desert. The place where there is little life or water. I have recently driven through the desert on a road trip and it is truly a lonely, desolate and monotonous place. 

Sometimes our spiritual lives get that way. We become dry; the road becomes monotonous; our lives can seem barren with no fruit. And we feel all alone. The nights are dark and treacherous; the days are long and scorching. But He will not let our foot slip, and His hand shades us from the sun and the moon.

As I continued to read, this friend stopped me asked what I thought the psalmist meant when he said, "...nor the moon my night". We know we need shade from the sun during the day, but the moon at night? I have to admit I was confused myself with that one. But as I read through this scripture again today, I had a thought...scary, huh?

On a dark and lonely highway, in the desert, with a full moon....you are in plain sight. There aren't many animals in the desert, but there are some. The light from the moon would leave you in clear sight of perhaps, a hungry coyote. But the hand of God shades us from the moon.

One thing I have learned about deserts is that they have monsoon seasons. The rains will come...the dry ground will produce fruit. And so will we. As we continue to walk with God and trust in Him, He will bring the rains again.

The repeated phrase in this psalm is "the Lord watches over you". No matter the circumstances, whether you are in the desert place or on the mountain top, remember...

The LORD will keep you from all harm—
       He will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore.