I life my eyes to the hills – from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life
The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time and forevermore.
Psalm 121, A Song of Ascents
Anyone who lives close by it knows: the water doesn’t have to be that deep, it just has to be moving quickly. An undertow at the beach, a slimy rock in the stream bed: add a misplaced foot and a moment of distraction and the dangerous power of water reveals itself. Only the ignorant and the arrogant doubt or disregard the possibility of being swept away by this elemental force. It’s happened to me a handful of times. In all cases but one, I was able to regain my footing quickly; in the one case, someone else pulled me to safety.
That feeling of losing my footing has happened to me a handful of times in the spiritual sense as well. When I thought I had it all figured out and was sure I could find my way through life easily; when death came for friends and relatives; when hatred revealed itself in words and actions; when confronted with the harmful aspect of my own inner life. It’s at such times that the big question arises: do I trust that God is the solid ground beneath my feet?
Do you?
That’s a beautiful, personal reflection on that Psalm–and it goes nicely in tandem with your previous piece on walking in the dark, not sure of your footing. Thanks for posing that final question.
You are welcome. It’s a question that has had a major impact on my life, and one I’ve asked more than once…Thanks, David