The God in Psalm 121 (and all other passages in the Holy Bible)

I have often heard or known of Christians who can recite Psalm 121, among other popular Psalms and verses of Scripture, by rote. I have also come across parents insisting that the children read the Psalm over and over again until they can say it without reading. This method is good and can be a stepping stone to increase in faith – for faith comes from hearing and hearing the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17)  – especially for the Christian who is still new in his relationship with the Lord Jesus. However when practiced by the Christian ‘who by this time should be eating solid food’, it can lose its real intended purpose.

I believe that God was, through the inspired Psalmist wanting to show the reader who He really is and how dependable He can be. For after the Psalmist declares: My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, He describes the One who is his Helper. Here are a few points that may help you see the glory of God.

• Maker of heaven and earth: Our Helper is the all powerful Maker of all things, through whom all things exist and hold together. Though He is invisible to our natural eyes, we need to have our eyes opened to see this Person as a real, living and all powerful One with whom nothing is difficult.

• He will not allow your foot to slip: Our Helper’s protection over us is unparalleled. In another Psalm He says, “The steps of a man are established by the Lord and He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong because the Lord is the One who holds his hand.” (Psalm 37:23, 24)
  Oh Lord! Help us to see how You are constantly and caringly watching over us (Psa. 34:15), always interested in our well-being (Jer. 29:11). You are the One who upholds us with Thy righteous right hand (Isa. 41:10).

• He who keeps you will not slumber: What a reassuring thought that the God whom my eyes seek is alert and caringly watchful over me, 24x7 / 365 days for all the days of my life. “In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for Thou alone O Lord dost make me dwell in safety.” (Psa. 4:8)

• Keeper, Protector and Guard: This is what the Lord, the Lord God of Israel so eagerly desires to be. Our shade, our shelter, our fortress. “O dwell in the shelter of the Most High, O my soul; let Him be the place you constantly reside, the One in whom you run and hide completely – for then, thou will abide in the shadow of the Almighty (Psa. 91:1).” 

The purpose of this writing is to encourage each who reads this - Seek the Person behind these assuring promises. Cling to Him with all of your being. Let Him reveal to you His glory - the awesome glory in being your Omnipotent, Caring, Faithful Maker. When you see Him, and not what He does, your faith is built on a solid foundation.

While I have used Psalm 121 as an example to illustrate the glory of the One behind the Psalm, the same is true for all other portions of Scripture. Throughout the Bible, God reveals Himself and His attributes in different ways. The time-setting may be of another era, the situation different, but the immutable God we serve is the same.

This was the difference between Moses and the unbelieving sons of Israel who moved in the desert. One saw His acts, the other understood His ways (Psa. 103:7). This was what separated the following crowd from the Roman centurion, the one of whom it is written, Jesus “marveled” – one saw the miracles and works of Jesus the Messiah, the other saw His authority, power and glory (Lk. 7:2 - 9).

Let us ask God to, through the scripture, reveal the beauty and glory of God that we may depend on, cling to, love dearly and worship completely Him who has called us unto Himself. We will find great delight in the relationship with the Person we relate to.

The Principle of Saving

In an article that appeared in the media, I read about a research that showed that to get through the night, plants do complex and accurate calculations that allows them to use up their starch reserves at a constant rate so that they run out of it almost precisely at dawn. Quoting a Metabolic Biologist the article read, “The calculations are precise so that plants not only prevent starvation but also make the most efficient use of their food. If the starch store is used too fast, plants will starve and stop growing during the night. If the store is used too slowly, some of it will be wasted.”

What scientists are discovering now about the behavior of God’s creation is consistent with the very principle of saving that God was trying to teach us several thousands of years before, even at the Exodus of Israel from Egypt. The Apostle Paul’s words in 2Corinthians 8:15 summarizes this principle: As it is written, “He who gathered much did not have too much and he who gathered little had no lack.”

God’s principle of saving revolves around trusting Him and depending on Him. “Look at the birds of the air,” said our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, “they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” (Mt. 6:26) Trusting the Creator and depending completely on Him means that one believes this God to be unfailing in faithfulness; mindful and caring; and completely able.

God has demonstrated that He is mindful and caring in that even before He made man, He provided for man (Gen. 1: 11, 27 and 29). God has shown He is faithful in that there is not a day when the birds of the air go unfed or the children of the righteous go hungry (Psa. 37:25). God has demonstrated He is able because it is now over 6000 years since He has created this earth and He still upholds all things by the word of His power (Heb.1:3).

In short, the principle of saving could go like this: Gather only what you need; give the rest cheerfully (2Cor. 9:7) in order to bless those who have need (Eph. 4:28).

However, unbelieving man with his insatiable greed to possess and own has not only violated the principle of God but has abused, robbed and stripped the earth to her present state. Even someone like Gandhi could see this and remark, “There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed.”

The Church has one of the most priceless privileges to demonstrate the faithfulness, care and ability of God. By her complete, absolute and unshakable trust in her Redeemer, she can be that witness of God that He is dependable. The Lord Jesus’ rebuke, “Are you not worth much more than they (birds)?” Mt. 6:26 still sounds clear but is anybody listening? 

Let us strive, with a renewed mind – a mind not conformed to this world or the thinking of this world – to prove and demonstrate what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom.12:2). As for those who put their trust in Him, they will not be disappointed (Rom. 10:11).