A Reminder to Look Up

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”

Psalm 121:1,2

The psalmist begins Psalm 121 by reminding us of where we should be looking. “I will lift up my eyes unto the hills”. Why does the psalmist speak of hills? Remember that Jerusalem, the city of God’s people and the temple, was set on a hill. When the people were traveling to Jerusalem, they were always looking up because they knew that is where they could find God and God’s people. 

In the second verse the psalmist goes on to mention, “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth”. The psalmist reminds us that he did not put his trust in the city itself but understood that there was One greater who created this earth and that his trust was to be set in Him. Although we do not find our church building on a mountain today, the same idea of looking up to God is true for us.

We must spend our time looking up to our God in heaven for that is where our help comes from. It is important that we look to God to seek help and comfort from Him, rather than looking horizontally because we cannot receive true help from the fallen world. So often our human nature will try and convince us that looking to the world around us is the best choice. And so often we fall for the world’s lies and find ourselves failing to look up. So often we are tempted to look around us and be affected by what we can see.

This world is fallen and as a result there is no joy to be found here. In the face of sickness, our first reaction may be to look to doctors, to tests, or to the best possible treatment options man can offer. We forget that we know the One who created us and who gave us this sickness so that we would look to Him for help. In the face of death, we can feel lonely, but it is important to know that we are never alone. We have the comfort of knowing we have a Father who loves us as His dear children.

This verse is a comforting reminder to us that the same God who made heaven and earth is watching over us and in Him we can find help. Psalm 121 reminds us that no matter what situation or what setting we find ourselves, we are never alone but we can know that help is in God. If you find yourself stressed, if you find yourself feeling alone, or if you find yourself full of joy and thankfulness, make the time to look up to Him! Looking up and knowing you have a God watching over you will only leave you feeling comforted and secure in the love He has for you!