To the Hills
Reading: Psalm 121
“I lift up my eyes to the hills - from where will my help come?”
Collage Credit: Jerry Wheat
Hills and mountains have always reminded me of God's eternal presence. Frequent visits to a church camp in western Pennsylvania with its view of the Allegheny Mountains strengthened the connection in my mind.
Our help does not come from unknown gods in the hills. It comes from the God who created the hills and valleys. God is a personal caretaker who knows and cares about every circumstance of life. Whether we are awake or asleep, we are protected from evil.
The one who "will keep your life," will guard body, mind, and soul, but especially soul. Nothing that can kill our relationship to God will be permitted to separate us from this One who loves us.
God is present with us as we go in and out of our homes, our work, our churches. Though this Psalm speaks of hills, we can appreciate its teaching God's eternal care and presence, no matter where we live.
My mother sang this Psalm as she did her housework. She had learned the tune from the Singer of Psalms, an itinerant musician, who visited churches in the 1930s. By the time my high school years came, this was my favorite Psalm.
For Reflection: Where do I look for help?
A Prayer Seed:
He will ever keep thy soul,
What would harm He will control,
In the home and by the way,
He will keep thee day by day.
Lillian M. Robertson, 1930
