I sang in a Gospel choir in college, and a staple of our repertoire was the song Total Praise, by Richard Smallwood. Is anyone familiar with it?
Lord I will lift mine eyes to the hills, knowing my help is coming from you…
It is a beautiful and resonant song of praise, centering in the words and images of Psalm 121. When I think of it, I think of how the song gave me strength when I was in mourning over the sudden death of a friend. How the words and melodies wrapped around me to carry me in a time of deep grief and confusion—a time when God seemed far.
Richard Smallwood wrote that song in 1995 when he was caring both for his mother who was ill, and his terminally ill godbrother. He describes the song as “valley praise.” Unlike “Mountaintop praise” which is praising God when things are going well, “valley praise” is singing out to God from a place of difficulty and uncertainty. When we are looking up at the hill before us, unsure if or how we can climb it. Perhaps unsure even how we got here in the first place.
I’m going to be preaching about this Psalm today.
The Psalms is a book of the Bible containing 150 songs or poems which are used in worship. They address the full range of human emotion and experience.
Psalm 121 is part of the “Psalms of Ascent,” referring to Psalms 120-134. These Psalms are thought to have been sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for the three annual pilgrimage festivals. Because of Jerusalem’s high elevation compared to much of the surrounding area, it was an ascent, an uphill climb to get there. These Psalms tend to be a bit shorter than other psalms, with repeated key words that speak of hope, to encourage pilgrims as they climb.
Pilgrimages are holy journeys. Here at St. James, some of you participated in the Civil Rights Pilgrimage this Fall to Selma, Birmingham, and Montgomery. But even though these psalms may have been written for pilgrims, they are songs for all of us. Our lives are holy journeys to follow God-- journeys where we experience both hardship and beauty. Challenge and hope.
Interestingly, all of the other Psalms in this collection start with the heading “Psalm of Ascents”—except this one. Psalm 121 has one letter different in its heading, instead of a Psalm of Ascents it is a Psalm for Ascents. That one letter change is significant. While all of them are songs of the journey, this is the one specifically for the climb—for the hard times. For the part of life that is uphill and exhausting, when you feel like you might give up. When you are looking for help.
It starts with a question: I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?
The rest of the Psalm is the answer to that question.
2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and Earth. I appreciate this reminder at the outset of who God is. It puts into perspective our challenges in the context of God’s power and love. God is our loving creator. If God can create all of this out of a formless void, then surely God has the power to sustain us, to carry us through the challenges that we are facing. As big as our problems are, and not to belittle them in any way—there are heavy griefs that we all carry. And all of that is dwarfed by the immense power and love of God.
We can have hope because we know that God is mighty to save. If God can create the oceans and the sky, the intricate latices of a dragonfly wing and the interconnected neurons of our brains, God can handle the challenges and grief that we bear. And God, who lovingly created us, wants to be with us and help us in our times of need.
And then it goes on to describe all the ways that the Lord guards and keeps us. In Hebrew, the word “keep” is used 6 times in this Psalm to describe God’s actions towards us.
3a He will not let your foot be moved. If you have ever been hiking and needed to scramble up some boulders, or been rock climbing, that is the image here. God will make your footholds secure, so you will not slip or stumble.
3b He who watches over you will not fall asleep. 4 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord himself watches over you. Unlike human protectors, who might fall asleep in the early hours of the morning while they are on watch, leaving you vulnerable, God will not fall asleep. God is guarding you 24/7/365.
This verse was particularly striking to me because in difficult times, especially times of fear, anxiety, or grief, sleep can be elusive. I think of caregivers, keeping watch over hospital beds of loved ones, who can’t sleep for fear that their loved one may need them. This Psalm has an invitation for you to rest, especially when you feel like you can’t. God will take your watch. God doesn’t sleep, but that is so that you can. God is always on guard to protect you and those whom you love, so that you can set aside your burdens--take off the heavy backpack of your pilgrimage and rest. We are not God—we must sleep. This is a reminder that rest is holy and worthy. A gift from God.
5(b) The LORD is your shade at your right hand,
6 So that the sun shall not strike you by day, *
nor the moon by night.
God not only watches over us, but is our shade. God covers us with his protection. During the day, God protects us from sunstroke, a palpable concern for people on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. God provides us with respite, to ease the journey in the heat of the day and protect us from sickness. And God protects us likewise through the night from any harm. This emphasizes again the point about God watching out for us always. Day and night, the Lord watches over us.
Additionally, in ancient times, the moon was associated with mental illness—which is why the word Lunacy has roots in the Latin word for moon, Luna. So in addition to this verse referring to God’s protection over us in both the day and the night, it also refers to God’s protection over both our body, and our mind.
God’s care for us is comprehensive. He does not slumber or sleep. He protects us day and night, in body and mind.
7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; *
it is he who shall keep you safe.
8 The LORD shall watch over your going out and
your coming in, *
from this time forth for evermore.
Your going out and your coming in. God will preserve you going up to Jerusalem, and going back home. God did not bring you this far to leave you. God is with you for the return trip. For the ups and the downs.
From this time forth, for evermore. God’s protection lasts forever.
The extent of God’s covering and protection that is described in this Psalm is beautiful and moving. It is no wonder that it used regularly in both Jewish and Christian liturgy in times of distress or mourning, including as a recommended Psalm in Episcopal funerals.
Some of you might be wondering what to do with all of this when we have experienced things that may feel like God was sleeping on the job. Sudden death of loved ones, war and violence, medical diagnoses, job loss... What do we do with all of that in light of what the Psalmist says about God watching over us?
In answer to that, let us turn to the famous word of Jesus in John 3:16-17: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
God is not blind to the pain and injustice that we experience in this life. God hears our cries and has answered us by sending Jesus, his Son, in order that we might be saved. God’s great rescue plan is underway, to save the whole world. God is making all things new, so that death and crying and pain are no more, and in the meantime, God is with us as a shelter and loving protector along our journey.
Lord, I will lift mine eyes to the hills
Knowing my help is coming from you
Your peace you give me
In times of the storm
You are the source of my strength
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to you. Amen