Read: Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? (v. 1)
For our first anniversary, my husband and I backpacked the ninety-three-mile Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier. Over ten days, we made our way up, over, and down every ridge that extends from the summit. Toward the end of one especially long day, I felt that I could not go on. So I asked my husband to sing to me. He may have felt silly, but if not for the sound of his voice, I might have stopped walking.
As hikers from many cultures know, singing makes the miles go by. Psalm 121 is one of the “Psalms of Ascents” sung by the Hebrew people as they journeyed toward the temple festivals. Since Jerusalem is an elevated city, when they sang, “I lift up my eyes to the hills” (v. 1), the travelers would’ve been literally looking up at the place where they were going to worship God. The entire psalm is a reminder to those on pilgrimage, as they walked through the heat of the day and camped overnight, that God would guard every footfall.
What journey are you on these days? Are you getting tired of putting one foot in front of the other in life? Take a moment to lift your eyes to your destination. If you’re a believer in Jesus, you’re headed towards everlasting life with God. If not, you can start now by trusting Christ. He’ll take care of you every step of the way. Consider singing a favorite worship song today to gain courage for the journey.
As you pray, thank God for the ways he cares for you.
Sarah Sanderson is the author of The Place We Make: Breaking the Legacy of Legalized Hate. She lives with her husband and their four teenage children in Oregon.
