Welcome to day 8 of our 40 day challenge! Today, we are in Psalm 121.

(You can catch up on our Intro, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7 if you missed them)

Psalm 121

A song of ascents.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

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The first two verses of this psalm come to my mind frequently. 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. Life in ministry can feel precarious, and the reminder to keep looking up to the source of our help is critical. The margins can be thin, and the needs can overwhelm. And none of this works without the Lord’s constant presence. When it all gets to be a lot for me, I’m probably not looking up enough.  As we impact the Kingdom, we are opposed. We come to Him with our needs and rely on Him to supply them by prompting others.  Our help comes through people (thank you!), from His hands. It’s the Lord who provides and prompts it all. And it’s the same for all of us, no matter where we are or what we’re doing.

The Lord doesn’t slumber or sleep. He watches over us day and night. There’s never a moment that the Lord is out of commission. He’s never caught unaware. He’s never asleep when we need Him. There is not a moment we are left alone without Him. What an incredible blessing and comfort.

And it gets even better. We don’t have to look at a far away high mountain for help. God’s Spirit dwells within us. Our help is always right here with us. Immanuel, God with us. It’s almost too wonderful to think about, walking with the Lord.

May we have a clear revelation of God’s presence with us continually. May feel His gaze as He keeps watch over us. And may He keep us from all harm, watching over our life, over our comings and our goings, both now and forevermore. Amen amen. ♥

Further reading: You can read Jack’s commentary on this psalm here. Over the years, I’ve gotten so many messages about what he says here and what the implications are for us. And it’s always a good discussion. What blessings he left us. ♥

Options for further  journaling or discussion throughout the challenge:

• Choose a part of the passage to write out by hand. Writing by hand helps us slow down and focus on what the Lord might highlight for us in the passage. Our brains can focus and remember better by writing than just reading alone.
• Journal about what the passage brings to mind. Does the passage tell us anything about God? Does it tell us anything about our response to Him?
• Does your heart respond in gratitude to any part of the passage? Write or pray your gratitude to the Lord.

We’ll see you tomorrow, for Day 9, and Genesis 12:1-4a

♥ Samantha