Look to the Hills

Mr. Johnson, a businessman from Up North in Minnesota, went on a business trip down to Louisiana. When he got there he decided to shoot a quick email to his wife to let her know he made it…

Unfortunately, he mistyped a letter and the E-mail ended up going to the wrong person, he sent the email to Mrs. Johnson, the wife of a preacher who just passed away.

The preacher’s widow took one look at the E-mail and fainted. The subject line of the email read, “Arrived safely, but it sure is hot down here!”

That is NOT and email you want to get from someone who just passed away!

On Friday morning the Lord reminded me of a scripture that really encouraged me and as I thought about it, I felt Him leading me to share it with you this morning. It’s most likely a scripture that you’ve heard many times. My wife has it on a printed on a little cute desk decoration.

The more I reflected on the scripture the more I realized that it’s not just a cute scripture to hang on a wall, it’s a scripture for people who are on a journey through dangerous territory. This scripture reminds us that God is not weak. He’s not forgotten us, and He certainly has our best interest in mind.

So, before I read the scripture, I want you to prepare your heart. Take a deep breath and get ready to allow the Spirit of God to bring you rest. Take your mind off the problems that have been following you and let’s focus on God.

He wants you to find peace today. He wants you to find joy today. He wants you to find healing today. He wants to give you strength before you walk out those doors today. BUT you have to believe His word, and… you have to Look to the Hills.

Psalm 121 CEV

1 [A song for worship.] I look to the hills! Where will I find help? 2 It will come from the Lord, who created the heavens and the earth. 3 The Lord is your protector, and he won’t go to sleep or let you stumble. 4 The protector of Israel doesn’t doze or ever get drowsy. 5 The Lord is your protector, there at your right side to shade you from the sun. 6 You won’t be harmed by the sun during the day or by the moon at night. 7 The Lord will protect you and keep you safe from all dangers. 8 The Lord will protect you now and always wherever you go.

The question in verse one is probably a question we’ve all asked before at some point in our lives. You may even be asking this question today:

Where will I find help?

When everything seems to fall apart in life, this is a valid question. When you’re struggling to overcome, this is a valid question. When people are attacking you, this is a valid question. When you’re at your emotional end, this is a valid question.

What’s the answer? The psalmist started by making a statement: “I look to the hills.” Now, there are many ideas about exactly what the writer means here. Some say that maybe the danger was coming from the hills, or some say he was referencing the hills as a place of protection. Or they say that the hills could have been a reference to Zion which, God’s dwelling place on earth. You can even look to the ancient belief that taught the gods dwelled on mountain tops.

To me, I see it as a statement like this: “I look to the hills, of course I would, because that’s where I find my help!”

The writer of this psalm was on some sort of journey where he could have been tempted to be afraid. I believe he was in need of help. For whatever reason he found himself in a valley that made him an easy target for his enemies. He wrote this psalm as a reminder of who was with him and there was no need to be afraid.

When you are surrounded by difficulties, you need to know where to look. I think you need to look up! Look up and over the problems and gain a new perspective.

That’s why the scripture tells us to look to the hills. From the valley of despair the view around you can feel hopeless, but you must remember that you’re on a journey and things are not always going to be how they are now. We aren’t promised that they will get better, in fact, before things get better than can and often do get worse. But as followers of the good shepherd, we know that He is not guiding us through difficulties alone. We can look up to Him for our strength.

Remember this Truth:

We are being Led by Jesus

John 10:11 (CEV)

11 I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep.

and later in the same chapter:

John 10:27–30 CEV

27 My sheep know my voice, and I know them. They follow me, 28 and I give them eternal life, so that they will never be lost. No one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father gave them to me, and he is greater than all others. No one can snatch them from his hands, 30 and I am one with the Father.

You might say, “Well, I follow Jesus, and I hear His voice, WHY is He allowing me to go through what I’m facing?”

To that, I’d love to answer that question for each person, but I can’t because your life is unique to you. But I can share with you testimony after testimony of how God allowed people to go through the valley for a reason. But that reason wasn’t known until after they made it through!

Even if we face death itself - remember John 10:28 says that Jesus gives his sheep eternal life.

That’s why Romans 8 rings true for all believers!

Romans 8:31–39 CEV

31 What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32 God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else? 33 If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? 34 Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. 35 Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? 36 It is exactly as the Scriptures say, “For you we face death all day long. We are like sheep on their way to be butchered.” 37 In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. 38 I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39 and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!

If you are surrendered to Jesus, remember, He IS leading you. You need to lift up your eyes to the hills - the place ABOVE your circumstances - to see that He is with you.

How do you know you’re looking to the hills? How do you know you’ve risen above your fear, anxiety, depression, addiction, your enemy, the devil himself?

Because you’ll be like the writer of Psalm 121 and you’ll start speaking differently.

Psalm 121:1–2 CEV

1 [A song for worship.] I look to the hills! Where will I find help? 2 It will come from the Lord, who created the heavens and the earth.

Then in verse 3 he changes how he’s speaking.

Here’s the Pastor Shannon translation of these verses:

Uh oh, I’m in big trouble, what am I gonna do? Wait a minute! Jesus is with me, I need to look to Him. He created everything that’s ever existed - I don’t have to freak out!

Then He does something that I want you to do in your difficult situation, He Speaks the truth!

Speak the Truth

This psalm is so cool, because the writer now starts talking to himself! Imagine him walking in this dark and terrible place, but with each word and each step he’s getting more bold because he’s confessing the truth.

Psalm 121:3 CEV

3 The Lord is your protector, and he won’t go to sleep or let you stumble.

Step

Psalm 121:4 CEV

4 The protector of Israel doesn’t doze or ever get drowsy.

Step

Psalm 121:5 CEV

5 The Lord is your protector, there at your right side to shade you from the sun.

Step

Psalm 121:6 CEV

6 You won’t be harmed by the sun during the day or by the moon at night.

Step

Psalm 121:7 CEV

7 The Lord will protect you and keep you safe from all dangers.

Now, he’s standing tall, and walking freely - there’s no more fear! Why?

Psalm 121:8 CEV

8 The Lord will protect you now and always wherever you go.

Speak the Truth

What if you woke up and spoke these words of truth? I’m serious, look in the mirror and remind yourself that the Lord will protect you!

The Lord is our Protector

The Hebrew word “shamar” is used six times in this little Psalm. That word means to keep, watch over, or guard. Six times the psalmist says that Lord is watching him, keeping him, and guarding him.

I am convinced that people don’t make it through these valleys because they don’t understand that walking in FAITH means that we trust that each blind step into the unknown is KNOWN to God who is keeping, watching, and guarding us!

The key to making it through hard times is to keep on moving! Speak the truth that the Lord is your protector. EVEN when it seems like everything is lost - it AIN’T!

Just keep trusting in Him. The enemy can only have victory over you IF you allow it in your life. You have to FIGHT the enemy! We aren’t in a passive battle!

The Bible tells us to put on ARMOR so that we can fight the good fight. Folks, you’re in a fight - BUT God is on your side. He is your protector. When you push back against the gates of hell you WILL prevail.

So, how do we break the power of the enemy of our life?

Honesty and Confession

Lord, reveal to me areas of my life that I’ve not be your sheep. I’ve been listening to my own voice that’s not in alignment with your word.

Lord, I confess that I’ve sinned against you. I’ve not put you first.

Lord, I’ve been focusing on the valley and not been looking to the Hills for my help.

1 John 1:9 CEV

9 But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.

The enemy is defeated when you’re honest with God and you Confess your need for a Savior! He is there to meet you. He’s your protector!

Next what can we do to make it through the valley of life?

Surrender and Repent

We have a little Chihuahua named Pip. She’s so sweet, we LOVE her. She does something that I think all Chihuahuas like to do - she likes to burrow under the covers. There’s only one problem - she has no perception of where she is under the blankets. One time she was burrowing right to the edge of the bed. She was going to fall right off the bed. So, I was blocking her way, but she’d go around my hand and head right to the end of the bed! Finally, I threw off the blankets to show her how close she was, and she stopped dead in her tracks, and backed up! she turned around and got to a safe place.

This is how we are when we are following our sinful nature. We are heading to death! Jesus in his love and mercy throws off the blankets to reveal that we are messing up.

We have a CHOICE to turn around and find safety or we can keep on in our sin to destruction.

We must surrender to Jesus and turn from our sin!

Acts 3:19 CEV

19 So turn to God! Give up your sins, and you will be forgiven.

We DEFEAT the enemy when we surrender and repent! Jesus is our protector. He’s made a way for us to find the victory!

Here’s one more thing we can do to make it through the valley of life.

Be Accountable

You’re not on an island! Part of looking to the Hills for Help is knowing that other people are looking there too. One of the strategies of the enemy is to get you isolated. It’s easy to take people out when they leave the other sheep.

James 5:16 NLT

16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

Listen, you can get free, if you want to be free. It’s a choice because your freedom what bought by Jesus on the Cross of Calvary!

Here’s my question for today -

Are you looking to the Hills?

Are you being led by Jesus? Are you allowing Him to be your protector?

Here’s the last scripture I want to share with you today:

Luke 15:3–7 CEV

3 Then Jesus told them this story: 4 If any of you has a hundred sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won’t you leave the ninety-nine in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? 5 And when you find it, you will be so glad that you will put it on your shoulder 6 and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, “Let’s celebrate! I’ve found my lost sheep.” 7 Jesus said, “In the same way there is more happiness in heaven because of one sinner who turns to God than over ninety-nine good people who don’t need to.”

Jesus is looking for you today! Are you looking for Him? Do you need to adjust your gaze from the problems to the solution? Jesus is our protector, He is our healer, He is our hope for Salvation.

Romans 10:9–10 CEV

9 So you will be saved, if you honestly say, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe with all your heart that God raised him from death. 10 God will accept you and save you, if you truly believe this and tell it to others.

Today, let’s take a moment to be honest, surrender, and accountable. When we do, we’ll find freedom!