Our help Comes from the Lord, a Devotional

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.
[Psalm 121:1-2]

the second verse of Psalm 121 has been a favourite of mine  for a long time. there are a few reasons why I like it. it's short and to the point, it tells me something about god: that he made heaven and earth, and it tells me something about myself: my help comes from the Lord.

People look for help in all kinds of places. Maybe they think if they have enough money it will solve all their problems. Or, they might think if they work hard enough they can solve all their problems. They might depend on friends to fix things for them, which might work for a while but in time even the best of friends will let us down if we totally depend on them for all our help, because there is only so much anyone can do.  Some people have given up on solving their problems and gone to parties or the bottle or casual sex or even drugs for help to forget their problems, even temporarily. None of these things are much help and some are counter-productive.

But, there is one who can and will always help us in our time of need, if we ask him ... that is, God. The help he may give us isn't always what we expected, maybe not the help we wanted, but later on we will look back and see how God's help was most helpful after all.

The Psalm lists a few ways that god helps us and i will list them for you now.

-  "he will not let your foot be moved..."  [verse 3a]
   This promises that if we keep walking in God's ways then the Enemy will not be able to pull the rug out from under us. Once we are in God's hands he keeps us safe, if we will stay as close to him as possible.

--    he who keeps you will not slumber. [verse 3b]
   God doesn't have business hours. He's always available at any time. he doesn't sleep so even in the night if troubles come god is available, only ever a prayer away.

-- "The LORD is your keeper;" [v5a]
   he is the one who keeps us safe. he is our great shepherd and he always watches over us, his flock.

-- "   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; [V5b-7a]
   This speaks of protection. God protects us from the enemy's schemes, he even protects us from our own folly at times. We must stay close and obey him. we have to realise that he sees the bigger picture and we don't so we must do what he says is best for us.

This reminds me of the Lord's prayer where it says
And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from evil.
[Matthew 6:13]
The enemy will trap us any way he can and our flesh is often a willing accomplice. we need God's help to avoid the pitfalls the enemy leaves for us. God is willing to help us but again we must obey him and keep close to him. With god's help the enemy will not be able to get a foothold in our lives.


-- "he will keep your life.
   The LORD will keep
   your going out and your coming in
   from this time forth and forevermore. [v7b-8] " 

God watches over our lives and helps us to live them in the best way we can. He will help us  make wise choices about our future. his word is full of principles that, if we follow them, will make our lives the best they can be, bringing glory to our god.

Of course, there are many other ways in which god helps us. The bible is full of stories about how  God helped different people as they faced a variety of situations. So, if you need help today, turn to the one who is most able and willing to help you, even if it's not in the way you wanted or expected. Turn to God  and humbly ask him for the help you need, then wait and see what he does.  In time you will be able to say:
 " My help comes from the LORD,
   who made heaven and earth." 



Prayer:
O god we thank you that you are willing to help us. You are so generous to us Lord. help us to remember, when things get crazy in our lives, that you are always there, reaching out your hand to help us if we will take it. May we glorify you in all that we do and may we choose to live in ways that are pleasing to you. In the name of your son, our Lord and saviour Jesus, the Messiah, the holy one, amen.