Psalm 121:1-8 (NKJV)
A Song of Ascents.
I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.
Psalm 121 is a beautiful song of comfort for the Christian. The central theme of it is conveyed in the central verse, “The LORD is your keeper” (v.5).
Six times in these eight verses a form of the word “keep” is used in Hebrew, translated in the NKJV as either “keep” or “preserve.” It means to keep safe, to watch over, to preserve, to protect. This is what God promises to do for Israel, that is, for the members of His beloved Church, throughout this Psalm.
He who keeps Israel, that is, He who keeps the Church, never falls asleep, never takes a break, never stops watching over His children. He promises in this Psalm to keep His people safe from all harm and danger.
This is what we ask for when we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Deliver us from evil.” We’re asking the Lord to keep His promise to “keep” us, and we can be confident that He will. In this life, which is often a valley of sorrow, He does this keeping, either by preventing harm, or by causing painful things to serve us for good. After this life, the Lord assures us that those whom He has preserved in the midst of sorrow here will be kept and preserved in perfect safety and peace in our heavenly home. As John writes in Revelation 7, “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (vv.16-17).
Where do we turn when fears and doubts arise? To whom shall we look when danger looms on the horizon and we are unable to help ourselves? Lift up your eyes to the hills—to the LORD God, your heavenly Father. He will watch over you and protect you in every place, in every activity, throughout your life and into the next life. And you will praise His gracious keeping. Let us pray: O Lord, I lift up my eyes to You, our Keeper and our Helper. According to Your promise, preserve me from all evil. Preserve My soul. Preserve my going out and my coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore. Amen.