Blessed are You, O Lord, who is our Keeper

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
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 forth and forevermore.
~Psalm 121 (ESV)

As I rise each morning, I look out my bedroom window toward the Sierra Mountains to sunrises like the one above. On this particular morning, I could not see the mountain peaks because the Lord, who created the heavens and the earth, had filled the sky with the clouds that produced this beautiful, vibrant sunrise. And yet, by faith I knew the hills were there and spent time praying for God’s help in having an equally vibrant day.

In those seasons when life is going well, it is easy to answer the Psalmist’s question: “From where does our help come?” I have no doubts that “the Lord is my keeper.” But when life feels hard and I wonder if the Lord is really keeping me, it takes great faith to trust that God’s help will arrive as sure as a new morning sunrise.

The words of Psalm 121 offer reassurance that far beyond what our eyes can see, God is neither slumbering nor sleeping but guiding, protecting and comforting. May you and I recognize the many vibrant ways the Lord keeps us safe and secure in all our comings and goings this day and forevermore.

Blessed are You, O Lord, who is our Keeper.