The Whole Journey

We have been in the book of Psalms with Psalm 121 for the last three weeks.

We have spoke of the need for help.

We have spoke of the the One who helps.

We have spoke of His being Here and There.

Now let’s talk about the journey.

Psalm 121:7–8 ESV

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

His Hand Keeps From Evil

“The Lord will keep you from all evil”

From this verse the question rises:

“Does this mean He will deliver me from sinning or from the evil one or from those things which are evil which enter my path?”

So let’s let the Bible answer such a question:

Proverbs 3:26 ESV

26 for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

So here we find he protects us from being caught by evil.

But also the evil one is held by what He allows. Meaning the enemy, such as with Job, can only do that which God permits.

Jude 24–25 ESV

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

We can also see in the New Testament book of Jude that the Lord keeps one from stumbling into sin or because of Sin.

But notice the Word “able”

He has the ability

We have to submit.

We have to lay down the reins of our life and allow God to have utter control.

The largest struggle we have with comfort is the thought we can do it on our own.

Self belief.

We say things like: “you are enough”, “you got this”, “you are strong”

Let’s take the lyrics of a contemporary worship song:

“You say I am strong…when I think I am weak”

The lyric falls short of the full meaning of the text.

You and I are not strong.

We are reliant upon the one who bares ultimate strength.

His Name is Jesus!

So it is not that you’ve got this or I’ve got this.

Jesus Has All of Life!

“He will keep your life”

“Not in part but the whole”

Sometimes lyrics of an old hymn like “It is Well” can really communicate the fullness of the ways of God.

He has us in the whole journey…not just the mountain top, not just the valley where we realize a need for Him, but in every are in between.

I love the words of the Psalmist in Ps. 37

Psalm 37:24 ESV

24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.

You see whether in the Psalm of Ascent or here...

We may stub our toe, fall down, or make a major mistake, but the Lord has us. The word translated “keep” is a Qal Imperfect. We give it a future translation because it shows incompleteness in a way. In essence, it will have its ultimate and final completion.

He has kept us, He is keeping us, and we can trust He will Keep Us.

Why the significance?

The Lord Has Been Faithful —We Can Trust Him!

The Lord Is Being Faithful — We Can Trust Him!

Therefore, The Lord Will Be Faithful — We Can Trust Him!

His Hand Moves With Our Life!

Psalm 121:8 ESV

8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

He moves as they moved. In essence, there was not a step they could take that would separate them from the presence of the Lord.

1 Samuel 2:9 ESV

9 “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.

We must also understand that this promise of security was provisional. It was for those who were submitted unto the Lord. They were His and He was theirs.