Dwell | PsalmsSample

Introduction

Lift Up Your Eyes

Hi, this is Tripp, and welcome to Dwell.

For the next few minutes, I invite you to join me as we recenter upon the Lord by opening our hearts to hear from him through the words of Scripture.

Thanks for joining us.

Reflection

Now, as we begin, let's first sit in silence for a moment, seeking to be attentive to the presence of God, the one in whom we live and move and have our being.

Passage

Today I'm reading from Psalm 121.

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. (ESV)

Exhortation

For several years, I lived in Vancouver, British Columbia, which is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is a visually stunning city, surrounded by water and bounded on the north by white-capped mountains. These mountains orient and order your life in the city. If you are lost or disoriented, the mountains - ever-present and unmoved - help you find your way.

For the people of God, mountains serve a similar, though even more significant, purpose. Mountains are the place of God's dwelling and the place of deliverance. Abraham encountered the Lord's provision as he led Isaac to the altar of sacrifice. The commandments were given to Moses upon a mountain. And into the New Testament, it is on a mountain that we hear the words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, and it was upon Mount Tabor that our Lord Jesus was transfigured before his disciples.

And so, regardless of where you may live in this present season, you and I are invited to join our lives to the words of Psalm 121 and "lift our eyes to the hills.”

Wherever you may be feeling despair or sorrow, pain or loss, lift your eyes to the mountains and be reminded today of the unshakable truth of God's promise to you: The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

Active Response

Now, I'd like to invite you to turn this Psalm into a short-breath prayer.

In the silence of your heart, say: "From where does my help come?" breathing in as you do. Then, again, in silent prayer, say, “My help comes from the Lord," and breathe out.

Take 30 seconds to do that now, offering this prayer as a gift to Christ:

From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord.

Begin now.

Closing Prayer

Loving Lord, the weight of this world so easily presses in upon us, causing us to cast our gaze downward. Today, by the work of your Spirit, we as you to help us lift our eyes to the hills, and keep them lifted there, trusting in you as you lead us into your kingdom, we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Outro

Now, go in peace, and let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.

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