#myhelpcomesfromtheLord

The psalmist is in fix. Things have gotten so bad he has to take a walk to clear his head and have some alone time with his God.

Picture it. Filled with anxiety and despair he walks and talks…and we get to eaves drop. Let’s listen in.

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come?” Psalms 121:1

What did he see when he looked up?

The terrain surrounding him was mountainous.  It wasn’t uncommon for those walking to look up in this mountainous landscape to observe pagan worshippers and false religion being practiced. When people had fears or needed a spell to ward off an evil spirit they went to the mountaintops to get help from the false gods, priests, and priestesses.

Let’s listen again, this time with more of his conversation

“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.” Psalms 121:1-2

He knew what help was happening up in those mountains. As he looked up and saw many receiving false help from false gods, he proclaims,” My help comes from the Lord the Maker of heaven and earth.” May I paraphrase?

“I’m looking up and see many people looking in the wrong place for the wrong kind of help. But by help comes from the only one who can really help me, the one who made heaven and earth.”

Have you ever been or are you in a fix like the psalmist? What false help awaits you on the mountaintop of your horizon?

In our day, there may not be a Baal, sun priest, or moon priestess to bow down to but we no doubt are tempted to turn to false help. We are offered false help from all manner of powerful media influences.  Whether it is from a magazine in the grocery checkout line, a link on Facebook, or an “expert” on a channel we frequent, we too often fall for the false help our world has to offer.

When a crisis arises, adversity hits, or sorrow shadows our ideal plan let’s respond like the psalmist. Let’s refuse to entertain any of the false help the world offers. Rather than choosing the expert on that familiar channel what if we take a walk and have a talk with our God. Instead of purchasing the new magazine to read while in carline or on our lunch hour, let’s grab our Bible and spend some reading about God’s perfect ways of living that leads to real hope. And don’t click on that link…

We have real hope from our real God who really loves us.

#myhelpcomesfromtheLord