I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1
I am in awe of the fact that God, who created the heavens and the earth, also has the hairs of our head numbered (Luke 12:7)! He knows every detail – big or small. He is always ready and willing to help us.
Perspective can be deceiving. The way we choose to view our circumstances determines our state of mind. Like a cloud hovering over the sun, we can be up one moment and down the next.
Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:5,11; 43:5
This verse is repeated three times in the midst of 16 verses. What or who we place our hope in is vital. When our hope is in the change of circumstance, we are easily downcast. When we choose to look above our current situation and onto the Lord – our perspective begins to change. Peace, hope and help come into view. A peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7). Hope against all hope (Romans 4:18). Help that is always present in a time of need (Psalm 46:1).
The hills in Psalm 121 represent the hills of Jerusalem, known as the city of peace. Jerusalem has been fought over more than any other single city in the world. What a vivid reminder for us, that even in the midst of turmoil and trouble, there can be peace and hope. There can be a lifting up of the soul that is downcast.
I find it interesting that the Hebrew word for “lift up” is nasa, which means to raise, lift up (the face, the eyes, the voice, or the soul); to bear, carry, carry off, to take. It signifies a lifting up, whether literally or figuratively (Old Testament Lexical Aids).
I can’t help but think of NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. According to NASA, lift works opposite of weight. Lift and drag are both involved in the lifting up of a rocket. The enemy of our soul tries to drag us down, to keep us downcast. But the Lord beckons us to look to Him for help. When our eyes are on Him, we see His greatness as well as our circumstance from His vantage point.
When we lift up our eyes to the Lord, He will use the enemy’s drag for our benefit.
As we push through, eyes on Him, a lifting up happens. We may not be able to grasp our minds around how a rocket lifts up, and we don’t need to figure out how the Lord will lift up our countenance. We must trust Him – trust that He is good. Only He can lift us up in the midst of troubling forces that desire to drag us down.
Jesus was lifted up for us in the midst of one of the darkest times in history. Don’t allow a downcast soul to send you spiraling downward. The Lord knows how to reach down from on high and lift us up out of trouble – catapulting us to freedom (Psalm 18:16).
“But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” John 12:32
Where we focus our gaze is vital. Will you choose with me today to lift up your eyes and experience a change of perspective? We must focus on the truth of who we are in Jesus.
What is your mental view on today – your circumstance – or your Savior? I know in my own life, that as I lift up the name of Jesus, my countenance is brightened. Magnify His name and watch your perspective change. Whatever your or I face, Jesus is greater. Allow this ancient, priestly blessing to refresh you today.
The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26
