“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”
Psalm 121:1–2 (KJV)
Beloved, Psalm 121 was written for people on the move.
A song for the road
It is one of fifteen psalms, Psalms 120 to 134, each headed “A Song of degrees.” Many believe these were sung by worshippers as they travelled up to Jerusalem for the great feasts. Jerusalem sits high in the hill country of Judah, so every journey there ended with a climb.
Those roads were not safe. The hills had steep paths, hot sun by day, cold nights, and the risk of being robbed on the way. When the traveller says “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,” he is looking at the road ahead and all it could hold. Then he asks the honest question: where is my help going to come from?
His answer does not come from the hills. It comes from the One who made them. “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”
The God who does not sleep
“He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (verses 3–4).
A traveller had to sleep at some point. Someone had to keep watch. This psalm says God is the watchman who never needs to close His eyes. Whatever happens in the night, He is awake.
In these eight short verses, the Hebrew word for keeping or guarding (shamar) appears six times. The King James Version translates it “keepeth,” “keeper” and “preserve.” The psalm keeps saying the same thing, as if it knows we need to hear it more than once: the Lord is keeping you.
Your going out and your coming in
The psalm ends: “The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore” (verse 8).
Going out and coming in covers the whole of a life. Leaving the house in the morning and coming home at night. Starting something new and finishing something old. Moving to a new city. Walking into a hospital, a courtroom, an interview, a funeral. There is no doorway in your life that the Lord is not standing in.
If you are facing a climb
- Name the hill. Write down what is in front of you that feels too steep.
- Read Psalm 121 out loud before you leave the house each day this week. It only takes a minute.
- Every time you see the word “keep” or “preserve,” put your own name in its place.
- If you are travelling, pray verse 8 over your journey before you set off.
A prayer
Lord, I lift up my eyes. I can see the hills in front of me and I know I cannot climb them in my own strength. My help comes from You, the Maker of heaven and earth. Thank You that You do not sleep. Keep my going out and my coming in, today and always. Amen.
Wear the verse
Psalm 121 is one of the most loved verses in our range. Choose the scenic polo with the full verse across a golden sunrise, the classic Psalm 121 polo, the mountain hoodie or the everyday My Help Comes From The Lord t-shirt.
Read next: They That Wait Upon the LORD: Isaiah 40:31
