Today's reading concludes the "Psalms of the Troubled Soul" section. I would like to focus on Psalm 121, which offers great hope to the believer, based on God's sovereignty. Many of these thoughts echo what Pastor Scott offered this morning in his exposition of Isaiah 40:27-31.
"I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
"He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
"The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
"The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore."
1. God's sovereignty means that His oversight extends to all facets of life. As Pastor Scott noted this morning, Psalm 147:4 and Matthew 10:29,30 demonstrate that God has created all and knows all creation intimately. He knows about all the hairs on our heads and each sparrow.
We can react in several ways to God's sovereignty. Many people may ignore God's sovereignty, believing life's circumstances to emerge from random chance. We might see God as a watchmaker, who has set the earth in motion but allows people to make good and bad decisions independent of His intervention. We might see God as sovereign over the "big questions" like war and the global economy, but not present or concerned with the nuances of our everyday lives. Yet, the Bible instructs that God is involved in every aspect of life. Romans 8:28 teaches us: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[a] who[b] have been called according to his purpose." Hebrews 13:5 tells us that God will never leave us or forsake us.
2. God's strength is far greater than human strength. In the Psalm, the writer encourages the reader to look toward God as protection, hope, and shade. The Lord will serve as watchman over His children's coming and going. As Jeremiah declared in 32:17, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."
The Olympic Games offer fantastic story lines, often about the "indomitable human spirit" and triumph over hardship. It is amazing to see athletes from many countries working to bring honor to their native lands and to earn a piece of history. While we may see resilience and strength in the human spirit, our strength is miniscule in comparison to the Lord's strength. We quickly faint or grow discouraged. Our human minds seek control, but we are frail and require God's grace and protection. We harbor deep-seated fears, ranging from feeling inadequate to feeling unloved. As Rich Mullins sagely observed in one of his songs, "we are not as strong as we think we are." Our motivations are often quite base: fear, greed, revenge, or lust.
3. The fatherly care of God comforts our anxious hearts. Each day, we may reflect on God's sovereignty. It should make us grateful for His concern and bring us to worship Him. That the "father of heavenly lights" would desire to give us "every good gift" (James 1:17) should bring us great joy, stemming from confidence in the Giver. The Wholly Other wants to know us intimately and interact with us. We are often geared toward figuring everything out on our own, but God desires to partner with us, to guide and direct us. We may seek Him daily, asking Him to reveal His will and to live for His glory in that day.
QUESTIONS
1. How can you remind yourself of God's sovereignty in the coming week?
2. In which areas of your life do you strive to live more in the light of God's sovereignty? At work? At home? With friends?
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