Psalm 121
All of us long to feel safe. We want to know that we are protected from danger. We want policemen protecting our streets so we will feel protected at home. The restaurants we attend have safety inspections so we will feel protected when we eat. The cars we drive have to meet safety standards so we will feel protected in case we are in an accident. We want to feel protected from foreign invaders so we emphasize the importance of a strong defense. But where does our safety really come from? Does it come from our policemen, inspectors, or a strong national defense?
1. God Keeps Your Feet Steady
Psalm 121:3-4 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep
a. For the traveler en route to worship in Jerusalem, there were many dangers. One of those dangers was that of falling. When verse three says that “He will not allow your foot to be moved,” that verb often translates “slip”. A person could fall and sprain an ankle, or break a leg or hip.
b. How is God able to do this?
Psalm 121:4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
Jude 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
c. When you feel inadequate, God is more than adequate through you. Trust Him with your every step, follow wherever He leads, and know that “He will not let your foot be moved.”
2. God Shelters You From Circumstances
Psalm 121:5-6 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
a. Not only did the traveler have to fear the possibility of being incapacitated by slipping or falling, but there was another danger. This was the danger posed by their circumstances. 3.
3. God Shields You From Evil
Psalm 121:7–8 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Matthew 5:11–12 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.