Our Shade, Protection and Song
Good Morning Friends,
The church is to be a place and people of miracles…a place of song. Today we read about the Acts of the Apostles and also the Psalmist Gospel… David’s Good News that God is the omnipotent and self-existent One who preserves His people…the ever present influence of the shadow of a great tree…a great rock in a weary land. Our focus today is on Psalm 121 and its key relevance for the Church. A church that is to be our comfort… a church that is under His wing and in His love shielding us from the searing heat of the sun, the false attraction of the moonlight. If we know the source of where our help comes, we need not fear the shifting shadows of our minds. The Body of Christ united will be Our Shade, Protection and Song.
Scripture: I lift up 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 shall 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 on and forevermore.
Psalm 121:1-8 (NRSV) Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Now many signs and wonders were done among the people through the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high esteem. Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he came by. A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.
Acts 5:12-16 (NRSV)
Message: There are certain basic things that must be gotten clearly in mind if one is to comprehend the marvelous message of hope in Psalm 121. First, it is one of the keys to the Song of Ascents that includes Psalms 120-134. In the second place this psalm is cast in the form of a dialogue, which was to be sung in the services of the Temple as an antiphonal hymn, that is, responsive singing. Interestingly, Psalm 121 has a tradition related to birth. It is a Jewish tradition to put a copy of the scripture with young children as they grow up and with women in labor. Its relevance for Lent is that it was likely sung on the pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Including quite possibly with Jesus and his disciples as they walked along the Kidron Valley toward the Place of the Passover… and Calvary. Its message asks this question, “Where do you turn when you need help?” The answer is God. Friends, because our God is great we should rejoice in His power, recognize His judgment, reflect on God’s wisdom, and request His help to see and submit to His plan for us. That is the prayer that is always answered. You can always count on Jesus when it comes to love. He thinks about us even though we are so small and unworthy. He looks at us with the desire to make us into children of God. He calls us to be part of His forgiven family. He is praying for us right now pleading our case before the Father. He answers the desires of our hearts to repent and to be faithful to His will. He forgives us. He protects us. He supplies us. He cares for us. He loves us. He loves us. He loves us. He loves us no matter what. He loves us in the good times and the bad times. He loves us so much so that we can trust Him to be there for us…to be our sustainable source of strength… providing exactly what we need. From where does our help come? It comes from the Spirit of Jesus.
Pray that Christ is closer than that our shadows. Pray that we are afforded the shade from the scorching rays of the sun. Pray that under His shadow we may sit with delight and assurance. Pray that we are called from the earthly shadows of our life into the light of a relationship with Jesus who became our sin so we might live. Pray that we believe that our help comes from prayer with the Lord. Pray we trust in the Lord. Pray that as children of God we gain a vision of the will of God…a vision of the love of God. Pray that we lift our eyes up to the Lord. Pray that we believe in our hearts that He can and will save us if we but ask. Pray that we repent… trust …serve. Pray that we allow the Lord to have His way with us. Pray that we stand firm in His love. Pray that when we walk with God in the shadow of the valley of death we will discover far more than we ever even knew to ask. Pray that on our journey with Jesus we sing a song of hope responsively.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 