Skip to main content

Pastor's Letter


Psalm 121: A song of ascents.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?

My help comes from God,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

God will not let your foot slip—
    God who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, God who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Creator watches over you—
    God is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

The Creator will keep you from all harm—
    God will watch over your life;

the Creator will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

We know this Psalm as we have heard it a hundred times over from friends or family members, pastors or Sunday school teachers reminding us of God’s love, and that God will always be there watching over us even in the hard times…

This Psalm of Ascent, included with others like it, Psalms 120 - 134, was collected to be used in conjunction with a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It is not “meant to suggest that those who walk in the shelter of God will face no harm or that nothing ill will befall them. The Psalter knows all too well that the wicked are everywhere and that they thrive unjustly,” writers Dr. Jacobson of Luther Seminary. It is a reminder of God’s presence with us as we make our life journeys. The Psalm begins with the traveler’s question, and immediately following, her confession, signifying her faith and trust in the Creator to guide her even when hard times come:

1 I lift my eyes to the hills --
   from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
   who made heaven and earth.

Many of us have dealt with our share of hard times, have raised our eyes towards the hills, have desperately looked to the heavens for help, seeking the comfort and presence of God. The second part of this Psalm is a benediction of blessing, and points to the promise of God, “Shamar” in Hebrew, which means “to keep” us. May you receive this promise as a marker of your inheritance as a child of God, and a reminder that you are being kept, “Shamar” in the palm of God’s hand.


8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and for evermore.