DEVOTION – DAY 610

Psalm 121:7-8 “The Lord Watches Over You Always”

Psalm 121:7-8 “The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

In ancient times, Jews were required to make pilgrimages to Jerusalem to attend feasts like Passover and so on. Travel at that time was often dangerous. The terrain to cross were difficult as few pathways exist. There were robbers and wild animals that may attack pilgrims. Some psalms were written to encourage the pilgrims to persevere even if the travel to Jerusalem was challenging and there was temptation to give up. Fifteen psalms fall into this category and Psalm 121 was one of them. The main purpose was to remind us that no matter how bad our situation is, God is with us and He watches over us always.

In Psalm 121:1-2, we are encouraged that the Lord helps us. In vv3-4, we are told to trust in the Lord because He watches over us. In vv5-6, we find that the Lord shields us from danger all the time. In vv7-8, the Lord protects us from all harm at all times. We may not be making pilgrimages today or need to make difficult and dangerous journeys. But we may face challenges that come in the form of tough and tight deadlines at work, difficult customers and bosses to satisfy, heavy workloads, constant demand for our time and attention and so on. 

I recall a time when I decided to take a walk in a local forest trail in Bukit Kiara. It had rained the night before. When I arrived at the start of the trail, I noticed that the ground was softer and muddy in places. After about 20min along the trail, I accidentally slipped and slid down a slope. To my dismay, I had hurt my foot. To stay on the trail, I had to climb back up the slope. It was not easy to do that with a hurt foot. I had to look for a large stick to use as support to slowly make my way back up the slope. That was when I recalled the above verses to help me trust in the Lord that I will be able to make it back to where my car was parked.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for watching over us all the time, shielding us from danger and protecting us from harm at all times. Please help us to trust in you always and not lean on our own understanding. We pray this in the holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. How has the Lord protected you from past dangers? How has that helped you to trust Him always?
  2. What are you facing today that causes you to feel fearful or anxious?
  3. How does Psalm 121 give you assurance of God’s presence and His help? Will you seek and trust Him?