Saturday, March 3, 2012

Psalms of Ascent

I finished up my journey with Beth Moore through the Psalms of Ascent last week.  Part of our homework was to memorize Psalm 121, I believe.  I finally got some index cards this week.  And, yes, by the grace of God, I have it memorized.

God the Help of Those Who Seek Him
A Song of Ascents.

121 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

This Psalm became much more beautiful to me when studied in the context of a Jew’s pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the desert.  They traveled by foot, they traveled together and they traveled through some really rough terrain in the wilderness.  They memorized the 15 Psalms of Ascent and sang them on their journey.  Sounds like us in our pilgrimage on this earth until we reach our final destination, the arms of Our King, the Lord Jesus Christ when He welcomes us home one day. 

It’s key for me to remember there is no destination of comfort, settled-downness, or having arrived on this earth.  We are on a journey together as the Body of Christ and God is conforming each one of us to His image as we continue to walk the rocky road.  He will not allow my foot to be moved.  He is my shade at my right hand.  He preserves my soul.  Praise You, Jesus.

This is a verse that caught my eye this morning when pulling up verses in Bible Gateway:

Psalm 90:17
And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.

No comments: