Title: I Will Keep You
Contents
I will keep you
Text: Psalm 121:1-8
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where shall my help come from? My help is from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. The LORD will not cause you to stumble, and the one who keeps you will not sleep. The one who keeps Israel neither sleeps nor sleeps. The LORD is your keeper, the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun by day will not harm you, nor the moon by night. The LORD will protect you from all trouble; He will guard your soul. will keep you from now on to eternity.”
It is when the members of the underground church in a certain factory in Pyongyang are having a prayer meeting. They didn't have a Bible or hymns, so they wrote verses from the Bible on a piece of paper and read it over and over, and they sang hymns with their mouths open. But on that day, the leader of the Labor Party came up behind him and, unaware that he was standing there, reading the Bible, praying, and singing silent hymns, the class leader came up to him and said, “Comrades. What are you doing?” he asked. At that time, a bold female priestess said, “We are having a reading session now. I don't want you to sit down with your comrades." Said. The class leader, not knowing English, sat for a long time and said, “Comrades do a lot. said and went away. At that moment, they blinded the class leader and thanked God for protecting them with tears. They say that sometimes they open their eyes and pray. If there is a worship service of the saints who risk their lives like this and a formal worship service that has thousands of people gathered but has a heart in the world, which one would God be pleased with? If we neglect to worship and praise God freely, the day will surely come when we will miss it.
This book is a song that praises the grace of God who helped and protected the pilgrim along the way. As the pilgrims plan their journey through the mountains and fields to Jerusalem, they are confident that the God of Israel will watch over them throughout their journey. When he arrives at the temple, the priest comes out to greet him.
Let's read verses 1 and 2 of the main text. "I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where will my help come from? My help is from the LORD, who made the heavens and the earth."
Humans cannot live alone. To live on one's own strength is the pride of the immature. Life needs help. Without God's protection and protection, we cannot survive even for a moment. Asking for God's help is not humble or wrong, but it is the way of receiving God's grace and blessing. True faith is seeking and receiving God's help. In the field of life, we must raise our eyes toward the temple of God.
“Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Psalm 124:8).
General Moses Diane, who led the Israeli army during the Middle East War, also known as the Six Day War, made a declaration that shocked the world. Diane declared that he had a new weapon to win the war against the Arab Allies, which had a population 100 times larger. Because of that, Israel was guaranteed to win the war. People around the world thought it must be a new weapon that surpassed the atomic bomb or hydrogen bomb. However, General Moses Diane announced that “the new weapon that will give us victory is Psalm 121.” In the end, the war ended with Israel's victory in just six days.
The pilgrim on his way to Jerusalem for the feast encountered a high mountain standing in his way, but he realized that God was the one who made the mountain and that only God had a way to help. It is because God is the one who provides all the problems of the universe so that even a flying sparrow does not just fall. God does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear, but when we are tempted, He will surely give us a way of escape. The pilgrim hands the animal to be sacrificed to the priest, saying, "I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where will my help come from? My help is from the LORD, who made the heavens and the earth." The priest comforts them by saying, “The Lord is your keeper, and the Lord is your shade at your right hand” (verse 5), saying that God “makes you not stumble”.
Hear, Israel, the LORD our God is the only LORD; you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength; and when you sit down at home, keeping these words that I am commanding you today, keep in your heart and teach your children diligently. You shall preach these words when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you are frozen, and you shall tie them on your wrist as a sign, and as a mark on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on the outer door of your house. Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
Let's look at verse 4 of the main text. “He who keeps Israel will neither sleep nor sleep.”
A Christian had a dream. On the sand of the beach, the footprints of the life he had walked were engraved. It was lined up side by side with the footprints of two men, one of the Christian himself and the other of Jesus. However, when I looked at some parts, only one person's footprints were left. It was a time when the person was very difficult and difficult, praying earnestly to God and asking for help. So he asked Jesus. ‘When I was in the most difficult time, I sought the Lord earnestly, but then where did Jesus go and where are only my footprints left?’ ‘At that time, the footprints you took during your difficult times were mine, not yours. That’s when I was carrying you.’
The saints often seem to forget that God is always with us. God continues his providence to protect his children not only in difficult times, but also in prosperous times. That is why we must live our lives giving thanks and praise to the Lord every moment of our lives.
In the text, the person used as me and my (verses 1-2) is changed to you and yours in verses 3-8. Therefore, verses 3-8 can be said to refer to priests accompanying the pilgrims or priests belonging to the temple. The priest is obliged to reassure the pilgrim. The priest tells the pilgrim that he will be protected by God, who watches over his people and neither sleeps nor sleeps. God is very alert in protecting his people. The song ends with a reaffirmation of the hope that God will keep the pilgrims from all tribulation at all times.
“In the day of trouble the LORD will keep me secret in his tent; he will hide me in the secret place of his tent; he will set me high above Pharaoh” (Psalm 27:5).
One day, there was a noisy traffic arrangement in front of the British palace. A traffic cop wearing white gloves stopped all oncoming vehicles. All passers-by were also stopped. People on bicycles and motorcycles also put their feet down and waited for a procession to pass. People flocked to see the Queen, saying that it must be a procession of the Queen of England. Then the procession passed, and a mother duck with ten young ducks toddled by. To let the ducks pass, to protect it like a royal procession, to save lives, so many cars have to stop, and how much more will God protect us to avoid our dangers? Look at the birds flying in the air, look at the lilies of the field, how can the Lord not protect us? God protects us. God guides us. God protects us. God's love is absolute. You must trust God absolutely.
Livingston wrote a biography of his life, famously saying, 'You don't die until you do your job.' That's right. We don't have to worry. No one can be killed for as long as God allows. I absolutely believe in it. From how many deaths did the Lord deliver me? I realized this. You don't die until you fulfill your vocation.
Let's read verse 8 of the text. “The Lord will guard your entrance and exit from now on to everlasting.”
There is a famous saying 'The best of all is God is with us' by the evangelist John Wesley, that is, 'The best thing is that God is with me.' Neither past nor future, now is the best time. Because it is a time with God. Being with us is the best time and the greatest happiness for us in any situation. The present is always dramatic.
When hundreds of thousands of British troops retreated to a port in France, a great storm broke out in the port where German troops were gathered in the vicinity. It was not far from there. The next day and the next day were calm, allowing hundreds of thousands of British troops to retreat safely. Later records show that the British soldiers gathered on a Sunday and prayed, 'God, protect us from the Germans and return home safely....'.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
The Lord protects us like the pupil of the eye and He protects us under the shadow of His wings.
“You keep me as the pupil of the eye, and you hide me under the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 17:8) The human pupil holds a great mystery. Ophthalmologists say that our pupils adjust automatically. For example, when a foreign object such as dust or sand tries to get into a person's eyes, the eyelids become black and protect the pupils. This action is possible because of the special structure of the eye. According to what has been revealed so far, the human eye has as many as 300,000 circuits and 100 million nerve cells. So, if anything, no matter how small, tries to get into your eyes, your pupils detect it and tell your eyelids to automatically close and protect it.
"...The LORD protects the faithful, and he rewards those who walk proudly. Be strong and courageous" (Psalm 31:23-24).
This time we will read Romans 8:31-39.
“Then what shall we say about this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him give us all things? Who will condemn those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. It is Christ Jesus who died and was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who makes an intercession for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Am I persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? as it is written, For your sake we are killed all day long, and we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
If God is for us and protects us, who will be against us, who will accuse us, and who will condemn us? Who else can separate us from the love of Christ? We can be reassured because God has protected and kept us so that we are absolutely safe. Hallelujah!
* Prayer: We praise God who is our refuge, Immanuel, who is always with us. May I never forget the grace of God who protects and protects me, never change, and love me forever. We pray in the name of our Savior Jesus. Amen