A Song of Ascents. I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall 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 shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore. (Psalm 121)

God Our Help

Songs of ascent were psalms that were sung as the pilgrims journeyed to Jerusalem. Ascending the hill of Zion to worship at the Temple of the living God was an emotional and moving experience. The people prepared themselves to worship the Lord by singing psalms in their journey as a family together. They were teaching their children the stories of the work of God through the psalms recited, instilling a love of the Father as a helper and benefactor. The work help in the psalm is the same word used of the promise made to Adam when God created the woman. As a helpmeet, God is always there to aid and comfort His people. The psalmist directs his attention to the magnificence of the Creator as one who cares for His creation. God did not create man and leave him to his own devices. When Eve disobeyed the word of the Lord, she was not cast out without hope. A Seed promise was given. Hope is found in the eight saved in the flood and the one sheep who went astray. God is a help in life because He cares for His children.

As a father, the Lord watches over the steps of His children. This does not suggest God has taken the will of man away. There is never a moment the heavenly Father is not looking at the life of those who follow Him. He does not slumber nor sleep. His care is constant. The overshadowing power of the Divine is always ready to assist, help, and lend His eternal hand to guide, protect, and soothe the troubled soul. As the divine helpmeet, the Lord God is like a wall around His children, keeping them from evil. He will always offer a way of escape from the clutches of sin. A rebellious heart causes one to sin, rejecting the power of God to keep them from temptation. Jesus taught His disciples to ask the Father to deliver them from temptation. God will always offer a better way to resist the devil.

Life can be like a burning desert that is harsh and cruel. The Lord is a keeper providing shade in the heat of the day. His help overshadows the Christian with grace, love, mercy, kindness, and care. Like a soothing shade that comforts from the hot sun, the Lord will protect and keep the Christian. Through the word of God, the child of God finds the comfort of God’s shadow stretching over their life as an eternal shade. Satan cannot burst through with his evil ways. The Lord helps His children walk in a protective cover of His love.

One of the greatest joys of being a Christian is to know the Father will be a helper to preserve the soul from evil. There is nothing to fear from the devil and his minions because their power is empty compared to the word of God. When a man resists the devil, he causes the adversary to flee. Jesus refused to follow the cunning craftiness of the devil with a “thus it is written.” Satan was defeated. The Lord will help the Christian in time of need because He promised to keep them from harm and watch over their lives. The problems of men come when they do not trust in the Lord to protect them. Living in the word and the power of the Holy Spirit, Satan is defenseless. God is the help of those who seek Him and follow His word. He will keep watch over His children day and night, and He will never slumber. Thank you, God, for being my helper.