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Daily Devotion: Psalm 121:1-2

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Psalm 121:1-2    "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  (2)  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth."

For me, this is the sister Psalm to the 23rd Psalm.  "The Lord is my shepherd."  Where did the shepherd normally situate himself in order to watch over the entire flock of sheep? It seems logical to me that the shepherd would find a hill where he could see all of his sheep and also beyond the flock in order to observe any danger approaching the flock. David spoke of killing the bear and the lion as he pleaded his case to King Saul for going against the giant.  If he had not been able to see the enemy as they approached the flock, he would not have been able to properly defend the lambs.

As he would relocate the flock from pasture to pasture, there is no doubt the location for himself would also be a priority. He had to be able to see the entire flock.  The 23rd Psalm is from the shepherd's perspective of priorities: green pastures, still waters, rod, staff, and all the pertinent things to care for the flock. Today, Psalm 121 speaks from the perspective of the lambs.  I can only imagine there being a sense of protection as the flock grew to know the shepherd. They would know where the shepherd would be at all times; if for no other reason, because the shepherd would make sure they knew where he was. I can only imagine that there would be times the lambs would stop to look for their shepherd.

Where was the logical place to look? If the shepherd was doing his job properly, we can know the lamb would "lift up (his) eyes unto the hills."  It was there that he would feel safe and secure to see the shepherd with rod and staff in hand and eyes wide open watching his flock. He would know there is his help.  Psalm 100 declared that we are the sheep of God's flock. Where do we look as we go through life?  The only safe place to look for our help is to lift up our eyes unto the Lord. Where is He situated?  He is set on high where He watches over His entire flock and pays attention to each of us individually. Isn't that a great source of comfort?  Today, I make the declaration, " "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  (2)  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth."

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