All My Ways...
Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you-
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm-
he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
(NIV)
So much has changed in the last 7 to 10 days. It is vital that we remember that there are things that have not changed. God is still our helper. His watch-care over us as loving Father has not been dimmed by a virus. He’s not nodded off and been startled awake by Governor DeWine declaring a state of emergency.
His infinite wisdom, power and love have not been in any way out of stock in the last week.
I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from?
The same place my help came from before I ever heard of COVID19. My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The One whose utterances create out of nothing is the One on whom I will now focus my eyes.
He, the Creator, Sustainer, Life-giver, is the One who watches over me- unwearied, unwavering, unchanged.
He is the director of the sun and the moon and His care extends to all who are touched by their light. Day and night, night or day- His loving gaze unblinkingly settled on His dear children. If He did not spare His own Son on our behalf- why do we doubt? Why do we let anxiety grow in the fertile soil of unprecedented, never seen before, threats? Never seen in our lifetime- that phrase has been used and reused and reused. But our God is Forever. His life extends beyond the reaches of time. Our moment is here and now but He is. Remember? The Great I Am? Who was and is and is to come? Maybe it isn’t that we’ve forgotten so much that it is that our ears and eyes and hearts have been overwhelmed at times by the voices- the many voices all in various somber and concerned tones telling us the “facts” about a disease that sprang up new last year. Every voice seems to be screaming- “Now!” Right now act, do, protect, cover, wash, sanitize. Don’t touch! Don’t even think about sneezing, coughing, eating, sharing or being together! Forgive us if we’ve forgotten or simply let Your calm assuring voice be swallowed up in all the noise- in our world and in our souls.
You say, “My child, I created you. I sustain you. I will watch over you. I do not slumber. I do not sleep. I call the sun and every star in heaven above by name. Not one of them is missing because of My great strength. Your way is not disregarded by Me- I walk before you, after you and with you. I am here now. Rest in my care. Feel my loving gaze on you. Lift your eyes. You grow tired. You grow old. You are outwardly wasting away. I never tire. I am timeless- ageless. I am making all things new. I watch over your comings- from before your first cell, to your first breath, to every other first in your life. I watch over your goings- from here to there, from there to here. Near or far. Close to home or oceans and continents from it. I always have. I always will. Now and forevermore. I still have you in my watchful and caring gaze.”
So I preach to myself- trust in the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. Cry out to Him. Cast your cares on Him O my soul. He who loves you with an undying love. A one and only begotten Son sacrificing love. To Him we lift our eyes, our weary souls, our over-burdened hearts. We pray for His help. We pray for the globe. We pray for the nation and its leaders, the state and its leaders, our county and city and those leaders- that God would be their help too. Assurance, peace, calm, rest. Grant these to your children, Amen.