I will lift up mine eyes to the hills
From whence cometh my help?
My help cometh from the Lord
Who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121 v 1-2
As a child I learned this psalm off by heart in Sunday school and it has remained a favourite of mine since then. The language of the psalm in the original King James is particularly beautiful but it is the thought that lies behind it that has comforted and encouraged me over the years.
The psalmist looks up to the high mountains and sees them in all their glory, their majesty and the fact that they have stood for generations. However, his help comes not from them, but from the Lord who made them. It is God alone who will guide, protect and watch over him, who knows all his comings and goings- be it by day or night.
Moving to the beautiful Highlands of Scotland has brought this psalm home to me in a whole new way. Surrounded by the breath-taking beauty of the hills day by day has helped me to realise just how great our Creator God is and how great is his love and faithfulness to his people. For this creator God, who formed the hills in their everlasting beauty, is also my loving heavenly Father who has counted the hairs on my head and who knows my every step and thought.
At this time of world-wide fear and uncertainty as we deal with coronavirus, can I encourage you to remember that our God is, as the children’s song so beautifully puts it, “a great big God and he holds us in his hands” Whatever happens God is with us. That is the wonderful message of this psalm, the message of the Bible, the joyous meaning of the Incarnation and the testimony of countless number through the ages. Whatever is going on in the world, whatever wars, crisis, fears and indeed whatever viruses there are, our God is with us and will hold us, care for us and watch over our every step.
So, be at peace, trust and when fears and anxieties threaten, look up at the hills and remember the God who made them has you safe in the palm of his hand and come what may he will be with you-always.
Wyvis Churches 