Skip to main content

Help from the Lord

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1

We are living in a saddening time. It is saddening to see 15,000 troops protecting the Capitol from a mob threatening to disrupt the inauguration of a new president. It is saddening to learn of bloodshed as a mob desecrated the Capitol and threatened the lives of our leaders. It is saddening to learn that state capitols have called in their national guard to protect buildings and leaders. 

Yet it is not God's way that saddening things endure. Surely the Maker of heaven and earth has a better way. It seems to me that sacred places are part of that better way.

Mount Mansfield was one of the sacred places I was able to see simply by going downstreet. The panoramic and awe inspiring view was a reminder of something more than life's troublesome valleys. The seasonally changing view reminded me of the coming winter, the resurging spring with maple syrup, the warmth of a playful summer, and a colorful fall.

Psalm 121 is a Song of Ascents used by the Jews traveling to Jerusalem, the Holy City on a hill. It was traditionally sung as the Jews ascended the uphill road to Jerusalem because it offered encouragement. Where does my help come from as I ascend the uphill road? It comes from the Lord, Maker of haven and earth.

It seems to me this image of help from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth, offers encouragement as we ascend the uphill journey to a better place and time. It offers hope that we will get glimpses of God's kingdom as we ascend. 

Ascending the hill of the Lord, to a better time and place, is a journey done with confidence, trust and hope because the Lord goes with us.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grantchester's Warning

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, the owner would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (from Luke 12:32-40 ) I regularly watch Grantchester; a murder mystery set in 1950s England. The main characters are a local detective and an Anglican priest who, as a team, solve mysteries set in the town. Two aspects of Grantchester impress me. First, the simplicity of the 1950’s police communications done by a landline phone and not cell phone. Second, the simplicity of daily life with little television and fewer possessions allowing the characters to focus on their vocation of detective and priest. This simplicity is more than a nostalgic return to the “good old days”. Instead, it’s a Shaker type of simplicity where austerity allows freedom from distractions to focus on worship and community. Today’s distraction-filled world has seemingly countless activ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Walking with God

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. (from Ps.103:1-8 ) Thomas Merton, American Trappist monk, writer and theologian, once asked himself a question he immediately answered:   How does an apple ripen? The apple, by simply being in the sun, fulfills its purpose of ripening, The apple doesn't try to ripen faster, it simply allows the sun to do its work.   There is nothing it can do to ripen itself. It can’t do workouts, tighten its muscles and then suddenly be a red, ripened, juicy apple in the morning. The apple just hangs on the branch in the sun, naturally ripening, where it receives its daily nourishment. This is the basic plan for how Christians ripen in their relationship to God. The difference is that Christians don’t naturally ripen in their relationship to God, we have to place themselves where we can be nourished. The beginning place of nourishment I find most helpful is the Guide to Prayer For All Who Walk With God. The daily walk in the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus, Deliverance, and Demons

"Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind." (from Luke 8:26-39 ) Astrid is a streaming program I often watch. The plot is a basic cops and robbers action until the criminal is caught. The uniqueness of the program is Astrid, who is on the Autism spectrum, is brilliant at solving puzzles including connecting clues to solve the crime. Watching this program has given me a more profound insight to people living with this condition and their acceptance in society. My first-hand experience with children on the Spectrum was driving a Special Needs school bus for 6 years. With this experience, I can imagine the life the possessed man was experiencing, especially living among the tombs, bound with chains and shackles, having to live in the wilds. It was no wonder he cried for mercy. Jesus, with his power and mercy, cast the demons out and even...
Post a Comment
Read more