Focus

Prepare yourself to discern what is and what is not of God today. Still yourself so you can hear how God is calling you.

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Read

Psalm 121 (NRSV)

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The LORD will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.

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Reflect

Psalm 121 is the second of 15 psalms in a row that bear the title “Song of Ascents.” Scholars frequently suggest that Jewish pilgrims, who had been scattered in various countries after their time in Babylonian captivity, sang these psalms as they made their way to Jerusalem for certain religious festivals. So, Psalm 121 is a song for people on the move. A core thought of the psalm is that God is also on the move and will watch over and protect the pilgrims on their journey. Or, to borrow the language of the psalm itself, God is a “keeper,” not a “sleeper” (verses 4-8).

We, too, are people on the move. Our jobs send us running here and there. “Soccer moms” (and dads!) chauffeur their children from field to field, and often from state to state. The relentless presence of social media, in its own distinctive ways, keeps us on the move. It is easy to get lost in the unending shuffle of daily life. The psalmist reminds us that wherever we go and whatever we encounter, we are not alone. God is with us and watches over us. This is indeed good news for people on the move.

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Pray

As we make our pilgrimages through life, dear God, remind us that we are not alone. We give you thanks for watching over us and keeping us, even in those moments when we are not aware of your sure protection. Amen.

Go with God.