Helper Beyond The MountainsSample
Look Out
Maker of heaven and earth is a frequent epithet of Yahweh in the later Psalms (Psalm 115:15; Psalm 124:8; Psalm 134:3; Psalm 146:6). It contrasts His omnipotence with the impotence of other gods “that have not made the heavens and the earth” (Jeremiah 10:11) From nothing God spoke into existence the universe. He is a glorious God who created light, water, vegetation and animals and finally us - human beings. When we consider all of God’s marvellous creation it ought to fill us with awe and wonder.
While God revealed himself to Israel at different times and by different names, now He has revealed himself to the whole human race through Jesus. (Gal 4:4-5)
He is no more the distant Almighty God beyond the mountains. He is not just the eternal and relational God of Israel. He is the God who came down from heaven as the Saviour of mankind. Through Jesus’s death and resurrection, He has taken away every sin and barrier between us and God. Reading through the Bible, we see God revealing more and more of Himself and demonstrating His love and care for us. This great God doesn’t need us but still He chooses to love and care for us. Though we are weak and fragile creatures, He pours out His unconditional love and grace over us.
In many of David’s Psalms, you will read him pouring out his laments and complaints in the beginning and by the end of the chapter break out in praise of God by remembering God’s powerful acts in the past. Whenever crisis hits our lives, let these comforting and affirming verses remind us that when we lift our eyes to the Almighty and Eternal God, He is willing to help us. We are all pilgrims in this world making our way through life and sometimes we find ourselves climbing a dark and rugged mountain and though our confidence may get shaken looking at our circumstances and our own helplessness, we can rest in the assurance that He has got our back - the Omnipotent Creator, Eternal Father, Helper, Keeper and Saviour.
Last February I was going for a hip replacement surgery. I already had 1 of my hips replaced a couple of years earlier and I had to get the other also done. It was a traumatic experience the first time around so before going for the second surgery, I was very fearful and apprehensive that I might have to go through the same experience again. I prayed a lot and these two verses from Psalm 121 gave me a lot of comfort and I clung on to them. There is a song based on this chapter by Bebo Norman which would just keep running on my head over and over and calmed me down. You can read it here below :
God, my God, I cry out
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near calm my fear and take my doubt
Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
of the mountains I can't climb
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
'Cause You are and You were and You will be forever
the Lover I need to save me
'Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God
so hold me now
Therefore just like the Psalmist, let us remind ourselves to look up beyond our mountains to the magnificent power of our God, reflect and look into His Eternal, Unchanging character and finally rest in His love demonstrated through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Ponder
- Meditate on Jesus who can feel all your infirmities, problems and tears you may have shed and every anxiety you may have. Because He suffered, he is able to sympathize and aid us in times of need.
- How do you feel knowing that the God who loves you “fashioned the earth and holds you together”?
About this Plan
When your journey becomes rough, where do you turn for help? What do you do when your confidence is shaken as you face the harsh realities of your life? Psalms 121 is a much loved chapter Christians turn to for comfort and strength. Let us look a little more in depth at the first two verses to learn about the awesome God from whom our help comes.
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