Help Along The Way

INTRODUCTION:

Series Intro - Psalms Intro

As Pastor Paul stated last week, we have started a new series on the Book of Psalms.

Psalms was the prayer book of ancient Israel — expressions of personal devotion — songs for public worship — covering the full range of human emotions a believer experiences as they enter into God’s presence and seek His help for daily living.

There are Psalms or lament, Psalms of praise, Psalms of thanksgiving — And the one we will be looking at today belongs to a special category of Psalm which are called - Psalms of Ascent

Psalm of Ascent Description

Three times a year, every able-bodied Jewish male had to make his way up to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices.

For most of them, that meant leaving home and traveling — sometimes for a single day, sometimes for several — bearing the heat of the sun and the cold of the night, carrying enough provisions for the trip there and back, all the while facing whatever dangers might arise along the way.

Jerusalem was surrounded by mountains — and the temple mount itself was situated high up on a hill — The journey was steep, exhausting, and often dangerous, and it demanded real determination from the traveler — so these pilgrims would pray or sing these Psalms of Ascent to encourage their own hearts and to draw strength from God for the road ahead.

Let’s Read the Passage Together

Psalm 121 “A song of ascents. 1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

THE SOLUTION: Transition into objective of sermon

Now, on the surface, this Psalm is describing a very literal, physical journey —

pilgrims climbing a mountain road to worship at the temple. But the longer you sit with these words, the deeper the meaning becomes.

This is not only a Psalm about a physical journey.

It is a Psalm about the spiritual journey every believer walks through across the entirety of their life — the ups and the downs, the determination it demands of us, and above all, the sovereign, unfailing protection of God over every step of it.

Illustration: Because here's the truth: marriage is a journey. Raising children is a journey. Climbing the career ladder, building a business, starting a ministry — these are all journeys. And the biggest journey of all, the one none of us can opt out of, is life itself.

And perhaps like the Psalmist on his pilgrimage, you may have asked yourself, one time or another — Who’s going to help me on my journey?

The Title of our message this morning is “Help along the way” — As we walk through this Psalm together, we're going to find four things every one of us needs for our journey ahead

Transition to next point: Our first point today is — We Need Help

1. We need help

Psalm 121:1–2 “1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

A. Seeking help

The writer begins the Psalm with a question — but it’s a question with a presupposition.

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?” — As he goes on his journey, he sees the mountains ahead, the uphill climb he will have to make, the rough terrains he will have to traverse — and with it he recognizes that he will need help

And he asks, “where does my help come from?” — The question is not whether or not he will need help — but rather where the help will come from

If we're honest, most of us don't start there. Not only do we often convince ourselves we don't need help — even when we know we do, we have a hard time asking for it.

Illustration: A few months ago I was putting up this shelf in my garage — nothing complicated — find the studs — level everything — grab the drill and screws and get it done.

But the problem is —this was a huge cabinet like shelf — heavy and almost as big as me.

And even though I had everything lined up ready to go — the little voice in my head said “call your wife, you’re gonna need her help” — needless to say I ignored that voice

So I managed to prop the thing on my shoulder — climbed up two rungs on the step ladder — and just when I thought I was going to pull it off — I dropped my drill bit — and found my self in a precarious position where I couldn’t move without dropping everything

So the Lord humbled me — I called Keily and she came and helped me

Now, on its own, that's a small thing. Just a garage shelf. Nobody got hurt — The issue is that this same prideful, self-sufficient instinct of not needing help not only comes out in the mundane routines of life, but it can become infused into our character that before we know it — we begin identify as self-made — taking pride in not needing help

Then, one day, when we are faced with more than we can handle — when we can clearly see things are about to fall apart — we are too proud to ask for help

Sadly, there are people that would rather fail on their own — than succeed with the help of others

They would rather see their marriage fall apart — before seeking help from a counselor and admitting they need help resolving their issues

They would rather see their son or daughter struggle with addiction — rather than admitting they need help as parents and risk being talked about in their community

The first thing that we need to understand on this journey of life, is that we need help

B. Receiving help

And the Psalmist understands this

Not only does he know he needs help — he knows exactly where to find it — “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

There are 2 things that I draw from this verse —

The first is simple — the Maker of heaven and earth is the one sending the help. — meaning that every resource that exists, natural or supernatural, is at His disposal. — He can command His angels — He can command a person — He can command the very circumstances of your life and send you exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.

But the 2nd is this — Notice how the Psalmist makes it personal — he says, “My help comes from the Lord” —

The help is not just coming from place, but from a Person

What that tells me is that — not only does God send help — He Himself is my help — He is my Helper

Isaiah 41:13 “13 For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

What about you? Do you know where your help comes from? Who do you go to when you need help?

There are many mountains in life — the mountain of career, the mountain of education, the mountain of family, the mountain of society, the mountain of country and nationality, the mountain of race and ethnicity — and there is also the Mountain of the Lord

When you look to the hills and mountains — and say where does my help from? — which mountain are you looking at?

Jehovah Jireh is not on any of those other mountains — He is on the mountain of the Lord — the mountain that Abraham climbed to offer his son — the mountain where God himself provided the sacrifice and spared Isaac, Abraham’s son — and spared us as well — because God was pointing to the sacrifice of Jesus on that mountain

Genesis 22:14 “14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.””

This is where every believer’s journey must begin— that we need God for this journey — an only He can provide the the help we need

And as we continue to look at the rest of the Psalm it becomes clearer and clearer how much we need God and how much he himself actively helps us on our journey

Transition to next point: Our second point today is — We Need Guidance

2. We need guidance

Psalm 121:3–4 “3 He will not allow your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

A. He warns us

One word that we see repeated in this Psalm over and over again is the word “watch” — Depending on your translation, your Bible may also have it as “keep, preserve, or guard” but they are all essentially the same word, the Hebrew word “Shamar” — which does mean all of those things, “to keep, to watch over, to guard, to preserve.”

And this word “Shamar” is at the heartbeat of this Psalm — it appears 6 times in this short chapter and each time it points us to God who is continuously watching over us in many different ways

And here in verses 3 & 4, the Psalmist describes God as watching over us in the form of divine oversight and guidance

The Psalmist uses the imagery of a watchman who watches over a city — a guard stationed high up on the city wall whose job was to warn the people below of any approaching danger.

In the Old Testament, God appointed Prophets to be spiritual watchmen over his people — In Ezekiel 33:7, God tells Ezekiel, “7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.”

That means one of the ways God watches over us is by warning us of danger before we ever reach it. — In John 16 as Jesus was getting ready to be crucified, he gathers the disciples and begins to warn them of what will happen to them, when he is taken away — How they will be hunted down and persecuted by the religious leaders

John 16:4 “4 I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you about them.”

God watches over us by warning us ahead of time — But a warning only does its work if we listen to it.

B. He guides us

What verse 3 also tells us is that — God doesn't just tell us danger is coming. — But He also steps in and guides our every steps so we don't walk into it.

“He will not allow your foot slip” — In the literal sense, it means that God is guiding the pilgrim’s every step as he walks this rugged terrain — protecting him from falling, and from going in a direction that will trap him or leave him lost on the mountain.

For us this means the same thing — God is watching over our path so we don't make a misstep, so we don't take a wrong turn, so we don't end up lost and fall away — David writes is Psalm 23:3 “3 …He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”

Psalm 37:23–24 “23 The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; 24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”

So here’s the question we ought to ask — if the Lord will not allow our foot slip, if He directs our paths, if He makes firm our steps — then why do we still stumble?

Here’s why: God will not allow — but the problem is that we allow! — God directs — but the problem is that we don’t listen!

God tells us, “don’t go down this path” — we say, it’s okay God, I just want to look, I’ll come right back

God tells us don’t watch that — don’t entertain that — don’t settle for that — but somehow we convince ourselves — “it’s okay, it’s not a big deal, I got this, I can handle it”

A watchman is only effective when people take heed to his warnings — a guide is only useful when you actually listen to his directions

Illustration: Researchers who study deaths on Mt. Everest have found that most climbers who die don't die on the way up. They die on the way down — after they reach the summit.

The majority of the deaths occur because of one decision: whether or not to turn around when their guide tells them to.

Guides on Everest set a turnaround time (2pm) if the summit is not reached when climbers need to turn back — The rule is simple: no matter how close you are, if you haven't reached the top by that hour, you go back down.

Above about 26,000 feet, in what climbers call the death zone. At that level you brain is no longer getting enough oxygen — which slowly begins to impair your body and your judgment. You’ve used more of your oxygen supply, you’ve burned more of your energy, — and now you still have the entire descent ahead of you.

As the day goes on, temperatures drop, weather can worsen, climbers begin making dangerous decisions.

Their guide tells them it's time to turn back. And the climber decides the rule doesn't apply to them — They keep going.

They summit. Only to end up dying on their way back down — sometimes hours later, sometimes within sight of camp.

Isn’t that exactly what we do? — God says ‘turn around’ — you’ve gone too far — this will cost you — but we keep going anyway

We’ve all heard the cliche of the business man who works long hours at the cost of his family

The singer, the actor, who dies young or becomes unrecognizable for the sake of fame

What’s the point of reaching the summit — if it will cost you everything that matters — “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”

So let me ask you: What warnings are you ignoring right now? Where has God told you to change course, but you are having a hard time listening?

Psalm 32:8–9 “8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.”

God promises to lead us — He promises to guide us lovingly — but we have to listen

Don’t be a mule — listen to the Holy Spirit — don’t force God to yank you back in line — listen to his counsel

Transition to next point: Our third point today is — We Need Strength

3. We need strength

Psalm 121:5–6 “5 The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.”

A. At your right hand

For the third time now, the Psalmist reminds us that the Lord watches over us — but this time, it’s not to avoid the danger, but rather to face it

You see, there are times when God directs us away from certain paths — and there are times when He covers us — as we pass through them

For example:

Proverbs 5 warns us to stay away from the path of the adulterous woman — “Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house” — Don’t even go down that route

But there are other times where God commands his people to move forward — even in the face of danger

In Joshua 1 God commands Joshua several times to, “Be strong and courageous” — Joshua 1:9 “9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.””

The Psalmist is acknowledging that very same reality here in verse 5 — He says, “The Lord watches over you — The Lord is your shade at your right hand” — meaning The Lord is still watching over you, but now He is standing beside you as you face whatever lies ahead. — You didn’t make a wrong turn — He is still there with you — not only is He still guiding you, He is also covering you

The Right Hand represents strength and might — when we speak of the right hand of God, we are talking about his power and might — even in today’s language, when someone says this is my right-hand man, they mean this is someone I can count on, someone that will have my back when things get difficult

The Psalmist is saying — “The Lord is your divine Right Hand Man” — He is your shade at your side — your refuge — your shield.

David writes in Psalm 16:8 “8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

B. Take your stand

So the Lord is at our side, ready to cover us — but Why doesn’t God just guide us away from these dangers as well?

Well He could, but He would have to remove us completely from the journey

Listen to how the Psalmist describes the dangers — “the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.” — You can’t remove the sun and the moon, the day and the night — you would need to leave earth to avoid these things

And this is the point he is making — There is a reality to this journey — there are unavoidable threats and challenges that the pilgrim ascending toward Jerusalem would face —bandits along the way, exposure to extreme heat, exhaustion from the journey — the only way to avoid these completely is not go on the journey at all.

And the same goes for our life journey as well — we will have go through some rough patches — seasons of challenge and difficulty — even danger

If we are not real with ourselves about these challenges we will face in our life — not only will we not be prepared to face them — we will think that God has abandoned us — Why? because we thought life as a Christian meant a walk in the park — when in reality it’s an ascent up a mountain.

The circumstances of living in a fallen world don’t change when we be become believers — but their power over us does

Charles Spurgeon — “God has not made a new sun or a fresh moon for his chosen, they exist under the same outward circumstances as others—but the power to smite is in their case removed from temporal agencies”

The same situations that used to devastate us — cripple us — as we walk through this journey of life — no longer have power over us — why? because we have a God who covers us

Yes, we will still have to pass through them — but the promise is that God will stand with us

The Apostle Paul tells us in, 2 Corinthians 4:8–9 “8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ”

The psalm doesn’t promise us an easier route; it promises a God who will right by your side — A God who is our refuge and shelter in the midst of it all — that throughout it all — God continues to watch over us

Transition to end: And our last point is that — We Need Hope

4. We need hope

Psalm 121:7–8 “7 The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

A. Watch over your life

Last week Pastor Paul said something powerful — He said “We don’t have a faith problem — we have a promises problem”

Meaning, it’s not that we don’t have faith — we don’t have promises to attach our faith to

Without realizing it, we attach our faith to our own will and desires instead of God’s word and His promises

But here’s some good news:

You can take every verse in this Psalm and use it as a prayer and a daily affirmation of faith for your life

“My help comes from the Lord”

“He will not allow my foot slip”

“The Lord watches over me — day and night”

“He who watches over me, does not sleep or slumber”

“The Lord is my shade at my right hand”

As now we reach the last 2 verses — not only do we get 2 more promises — we get confirmation of what we understood from the beginning

That this Psalm is not just about an earthly journey to go worship at a temple — but rather the truth of God’s continuous help, guidance and protection throughout our entire life — “The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life”

These last 2 verses are essentially a summation of all of the prior promises — the Psalm itself took us on a journey — it started with asking God for help —asking for His guidance — asking for His protection — to now surrendering everything over to God

Every step that we take towards God — every step of our ascent up this mountain — strips more and more off of us — and surrenders more and more to Him

1 Peter 5:7 AMPC “Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”

And that’s the real destination isn’t it — not a physical place — but a spiritual reality — that yes, God will help us, will guide us, will strengthen us — But our real hope is that God’s care for us encompasses the entirety of our life

B. Now and forevermore

“the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” — Another translation says He will preserve us

And the Psalmist leaves us with this encouragement — that God will be preserve us throughout it all

His promises extend far beyond the journeys that we will have to go through here on earth

God promises that He will keep us — and watch over us, both now and forevermore

God’s promise to watch over us is both temporal — and eternal

Transition to end:

REVIEW: Objective and rationale

You need help — and He is Helper. You need guidance — and He is Guide. You need strength — and He is your Strength. You need hope — and He is your Hope, both now and forevermore.

PRAYER:

Salvation call

Dear God,

I confess that I’m a sinner,

and I ask for your forgiveness.

I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord

I believe that You raised him from the dead

From this day forward,

I surrender my life,

I surrender my will

to Jesus Christ

I pray this in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

If you prayed that prayer for the first time: Text LIVING to 94000