A Song Of Ascent
Psalm 121: 1-8 (NIV)—
‘I lift up my eyes to the mountains — 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.’
When it comes to reading my Bible, there have been seasons in my life where I feel I'm thriving. Times where I’ve challenged myself to read whole chapters every day or tried to dig deep into the background or context of a passage. There was even one time where I managed to read through the book of Job and make it out the other side! However, more often than not, there are periods of time where the thought of reading my Bible feels very overwhelming. In these situations, I tend to read one passage that speaks truth and comfort to me and let that be what I meditate on and memorise whenever I can. And recently I just haven’t been able to move on from the words of Psalm 121.
Psalm 121 is one of fifteen ‘Songs of Ascent’. This means that it would have been written for people to sing as they embarked on the steep, uphill pilgrimage to Jerusalem for important Jewish festivals. These songs were sung to prepare God’s people for worship and to offer encouragement to those undertaking the upward journey.
All of us are facing situations and challenges in our everyday lives that feel like steep ascents and we, like the Old Testament pilgrims, need encouragement and truth to hold onto as we face those journeys. So, over the next five days, we’ll be breaking Psalm 121 down together, looking at just one or two verses each day so that we can experience God’s encouragement, comfort and strength as we travel together.
Reflect - What is the uphill journey you’re facing right now? Take a moment to present that challenge to God and invite him to walk with you and speak encouragement to you.