The Psalms of Ascent! The Psalms in today’s Bible reading are often called Songs of Ascent. Israel is widely believed to sing these songs on their way to Jerusalem to worship God and celebrate the holy days. As they made their way to the city, they would ascend or go up to Jerusalem. There are fifteen Psalms of Ascent; our reading today takes us through the first seven. Psalm 121 stood out to me. This Psalm is all about the eyes, ours, and God’s. Notice our eyes.
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. (Psalm 121:1–2, ESV)
Do you and I need help in life? Yes! Where do we look for help? Often, we tend to look horizontally. To look to this person or that author, a method, a plan or a book, an institution, money, a job, a relationship, or even religion. All these things are in the horizontal view. When that doesn’t work, the following view is a little higher than the horizontal; let’s look to the hills—it’s the angled view—let’s add God to the horizontal! This will be sure to help; this has to help; we’ve added God! Let’s trust the horizontal and God! But this view is still not high enough! The Psalmist says that his help comes from the LORD alone! The Psalmist says his eye goes as high as the heavens to the very throne room of God.
To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! (Psalm 123:1, ESV)
The next eyes mentioned in this Psalm are the Lord’s eyes, and the emphasis is definitely on what the Lord is doing for us! In the NLT, in Psalm 121, notice the emphasis: vs. 3…watches over you…, vs. 4...he who watches over Israel…, vs. 5…LORD himself watches over you…, vs. 7…watches over your life…, and vs. 8…keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. Wow! Verses 3-4 emphasize the Lord’s eyes never tire and never slumber or sleep. Verses 5-6 emphasize the Lord watches to protect us day and night. Verse 7 indicates God watches over our life as a whole. Verse 8 says that God keeps watch over our coming and going in this life and will also in the next. Amazing!
God’s eyes are definitely on us all the time. How often do our eyes rise above the horizontal, above the hills, all the way to heaven? The picture in this Psalm is one where the child of God is looking at the Father, and God the Father is looking at His child in watchful care. That’s a gaze worth locking into with our eyes. What a view! I like how Micah the prophet stated his resolve.
Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. (Micah 7:7, KJV)
Child of God, rejoice in the view higher than the hills; rejoice in God who helps us!
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Psalms 121; 12-125; 128-130.
What a comfort we have, the Almighty Loving God watching over us always.