I’d like to have us come back to Psalm 121 and to think about how what’s written there can be helpful to us this morning.

Psalm 121 is a Psalms of Ascent - meaning that Pilgrims would sing this  Psalm as they traveled up the hill to the Temple in Jerusalem - there they would worship God - spend time apart with Him.  Notice that Psalm 121 is written from the perspective of looking up from the valley:  “I lift my eyes to the hills...”

Ever feel like you’re living your life in a valley?  Maybe even a deep canyon - with walls that are closing in?  Maybe that’s where you’re at this morning?  This Psalm is about living life in the real world.

The question is asked:  From where does my help come?

Answer:  “My help comes from the Lord” - from God who is the Creator - sovereign over heaven and earth.

Way too often we find ourselves looking at the hills - at the creation - for our help.  Trying to manage living in the valley by our own whit, wisdom, and working out of things.  Which - if we’re honest with ourselves - that doesn’t work too well.

We need to look higher.  To look to the One who really is able and willing to help us.

Psalm 121 verse 3 says - “He - God - will not let your foot be moved” - or slip - like on unstable ground.  God steadies us - holds us up.  Like someone who’s arm we lean on for support.

Psalm 121 says that God never sleeps or slumbers.  Meaning that God doesn’t doze off and fall into a deep sleep - blissfully ignorant of the drama of our lives. 

That doesn’t mean that God follows us around 24/7/365 and keeps us from getting ourselves into trouble - even sin.  Because God gives us freedom and we tend to use it to mess up.  What it does mean is that God has spoken to us and is constantly speaking to us - to guide us - to warn us of the dangers around us.

As we look to Him and understand His guidance and Word for our lives - He will teach us how to do life the way God has created life to be lived and how we’re to live the life that He’s created and called us to - even in the valley.

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The left hand was used to carry a shield.  It was protected.  The right hand carried a sword and was exposed.

The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

The sun still rises and the moon still rises.  We’re constantly exposed to the drama of living in this world.  But, God’s protection is complete in the worst circumstances of our lives.  God promises His protection - not deliverance but protection - and in the worst that can happen.  We live in a natural - sinful - world with hard circumstances and unanswered questions.  But even in death He is there.

There are times - like today - when we need to be reminded of that.  He is with you.  Trust Him.

The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.

We may feel like all hell is breaking lose - maybe it is - but, in Christ - God has already delivered us.

The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore - today and forever.

In everything that we’ve heard and shared today about _____ - and those of you that have had the privilege of knowing her, maybe all your lives know this some much more clearly - Psalm 121 really does describe how she lived life - trusting God - finding her strength in Him - living to point others to Him - until today (last Sunday) - and now forever with Him.

Our greatest need is to be at peace with God - our creator.  To live with Him in a relationship that is holy as He is holy - righteous as He is righteous - without sin as He is sinless.  And yet, each of us stumbles in sin - says - thinks - does - what cuts us off from that relationship.  And we are helpless and hopeless in and of ourselves to do anything about it.

Jesus - God - because He is grace - our Helper comes to us and on the cross deals with what separates us from God - deals with the punishment for our sin - and offers to each of us a restored relationship with Him today and forever.

The Bible tells us:  “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31).  At some point we need to agree with God that trying to live life by our own whit, wisdom, and working - all that isn’t working for us and it isn’t getting us any closer to God.

The Bible says, “Believe.”   On the cross - in our place - Jesus really has done everything that needs to be done to restore our relationship with God.

Believe.  Agree with God.  Yes - I’m a sinner.  Accept that Jesus has done what needs to be done.  Ask His forgiveness and He forgives.  Turn the control of your life over to Him. 

_____ believed.  She lived life following Jesus.  God was her helper in life and is forever.

Those words spoken by the master to the servant, “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21) apply to _____ - who is forever enjoying the unimaginable reward of her Savior.  Who is enjoying a reunion with those who gone before us - a reunion that those of us who believe are really really looking forward to. 

May we - as we live here in the valley - literally - may we learn to raise our eyes to the One who is able to help us.  May He comfort each one of us.  May He receive the glory and praise of our lives - as _____ also glorified and praised Him with hers.

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®  (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.