HANG ON,HELP COMING

Psa. 121:1–8

Intro: The superscription to this Psalm tells us that it is a “Song of Degrees.” That is, this is a Psalm that worshipers would sing as they made their way to Jerusalem to participate in the three great annual feasts; Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. With that in mind, it is plain to see that this is a pilgrim’s song. It tells of the dangers of the journey, and of the help God provides along the way.

Verse 1 is not a declaration of hope, but rather, it is a cry of despair. The Psalmist is telling us that danger is lurking in the hills above and is waiting for an opportunity to pounce upon the weary traveler. When this happens, where can the pilgrim turn to for help? The psalmist answers his own question be reminding us that the Lord is our help!

I. ( 2–4) THE SOURCE OF OUR HELP

A. (2) He Is Our Creator—The Psalmist knew that his help would not come from the hills. (Ill. In times past, the hills had been places of idolatry and false religion. No, help could not be found in the false!) The Psalmist turned his attention to the Lord! He knew that the real source of his help was Almighty God. He isn’t referring to a friend or and ally, but to the Creator of the universe. The idea is this, “If God can make this world, then surely, He has the power to take care of me!” What a truth! Our helper is none other than the very One who stood on the edge of nothing and made everything with the Word of His power. He is able to help you and me

B. ( 3) He Is Our Confirmer—This verse tells us that the Lord will not allow our foot to “slip.” God knows how easy it is for us to slip into sin and into discouragement. Yet, we must remember that He is ever with us and has promised to sustain us with his presence and His power We need to remember that the Lord has never made a house that fell, nor a foundation that crumbled. There will be times when we feel like giving up and giving in, but we need to realize that He has lifted us out of the miry clay of this world and has established our goings. We are constantly being reinforced and help steady by the mighty hand of God,

What this means to us is that we can count on the Lord to help us along the way. In fact, the New Testament depicts the Lord, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, as a “Comforter” He is pictured as One who comes along beside us to offer help and assistance during our journey. He helps us to keep on standing for the Lord.)

C. ( 3 b–4) He Is Our Constant Helper—Not only does the Lord know that it is easy for us to slip, He also knows that it is easy for us to sleep. There are times when we grow weary and want to rest. There are times when we let down our guard and get caught napping. But, not so with the Lord! He is ever awake and ever active on our behalf. He doesn’t grow weary, He doesn’t tire and He doesn’t fall asleep at the switch. Therefore, there is no need for you to worry. There is no need for you to fret. There is no need for you to lose one moments sleep at any time because of this problem or the other. God is ever awake and is constantly on the job. What a blessing to know that we can depend upon Him. (Ill. Lam. 3:23—“Great is thy faithfulness.”)

II. (5–6) THE STRENGTH OF OUR HELP

A. ( 5 )He Protects Us From Our Enemies—This verse tells us that the Lord is our shade upon the right hand. In ancient times, warriors carries two items into battle. One was the sword and the other was the shield. Normally, the shield was carried by the left hand and the sword in the right. This meant that the right side was vulnerable to attack since there was no shield of protection upon it. The Psalmist is telling us that God takes up a deliberate, defensive position to protect us where we are most vulnerable.

B. ( 6 )He Protects Us From The Elements—In this verses, the Psalmist speaks of two possible sources of harm that were common to the ancient soldier. One was sunstroke, a dangerous condition where the body became overheated and shut down. This condition could be fatal. The other was moon stroke, believed by the ancients to be just as dangerous. Moon stroke,unlike sunstroke, did not affect the body, but the mind. In ancient times, mental illness was thought to be caused by the moon. This is where we get the word “lunatic” to refer to someone who has a mental disturbance.

The whole idea is this, while we are subject to attack in our lives. We are also subject to attacks in our bodies and in our minds. However, just as God will guard us against the attack of the enemy from the outside, He will guard us from the attack on the inside as well.

III. ( 7–8) THE SECURITY OF OUR HELP

A. ( 7 )We Are Preserved From Evil—These bodies are much like volcanos. At any moment, the sin that is pent up in us can burst forth and commit any sin imaginable! This flesh which we carry around is utterly depraved How can we ever hope to live for God? The answer lies in the Holy Spirit. When we are saved, He moves in! When He comes, He comes with all the resources necessary to overcome temptation and to say no to sin.

B. ( 8 )We Are Preserved For Eternity—In this verse, the Psalmist reminds us that the Lord will keep us while we are here, 1 Pet. 5:7. And, that He will continue this ministry throughout eternity! Ours is a priceless, endless guarantee. This is simply a reminder of the wonderful doctrine of the security of the believer. In Jesus, we are preserved forever!

Close: I am grateful this evening that I have these promises for my journey. What about you? I am glad that I do not have to look to this ever changing for my help and for my security. There is a great God in heaven who is interested in everything that happens in my life. My burdens are His burdens, my problems are His problems, my worries are His worries. My duty is to trust Him, and His duty is to take care of me. He is always performing His duty! Am I performing mine? Do you need help from the Lord tonight? If so, then come to Him and let Him meet the need you have.[1]

[1] Alan Carr, “Hang On, Help Is Coming! (Psa. 121:1–8),” in The Sermon Notebook: Old Testament(Lenoir, NC: Alan Carr, 2015), 1639–1641.