The Lord watches over us - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Psalm 121:1-8,

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
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.

This is Psalm 121 in its entirety. It is a beautiful little psalm and
speaks to the care the Lord has for those who are his. No matter what
we face in this life, he is watching over us and keeps us safe from
harm.

I might be tempted to assume no difficulty, no trial will come my way
in this life. This is not the case. This psalm speaks of the Lord
watching over us as we go through times of difficulty. The help we
read of in verse one speaks of occasions where we need help, in the
midst of trials and difficulties. One doesn't need help when
difficulty does not show itself. It is to the Lord we need to find our
safety, to find our strength, to find our help.

I am reminded of a time when Paul faced difficulty. He said, "We do
not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we
suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far
beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened
that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.
On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as
you help us by your prayers." 2 Corinthians 1:8-11.

Here we see the psalmist's words lived out. Paul suffered hardships
such that he "despaired even of life". However, he who watches over
our lives, our "coming and going", was who Paul looked to and found
not only his deliverance but also that the Lord used the hardships
Paul faced to bring about Paul's reliance on God. The Lord used it as
a learning experience for Paul to develop qualities he would need.

No matter the trials we face, the Lord watches over us and brings
about only good things for us, "And we know that in all things God
works for the good of those who love him, who have been called
according to his purpose." Romans 8:28.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com