Lift Up Mine Eyes To The Hills

Look to the Hills

 'I lift up mine eyes to the hills and I wonder from where comes my help? My help, it comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let you stumble, He will not let you fall, the Lord is your keeper. The sun will not strike you by day nor the moon by night, the Lord will keep your life. I lift up mine eyes to the hills and I wonder, I wonder where comes my help.' Psalm 121

Psalms 121 is a wonderful promise and assurance of the Lord God protecting His people. There is a wonderful hymn 'I Lift Up Mine Eyes' by Allen Pote which so beautifully captivates this reassuring message of the Lord's protection. God’s protection is ubiquitous and all-encompassing, at all times of the day and in every hour. 

I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, 

and I wonder from where comes my help? 

My help, it comes from the Lord, 

The maker of heaven and earth. 

I lift up my eyes to the hills and I wonder,

I wonder, where is my help

He will not let you stumble, 

He will not let you fall, the Lord is your keeper. 

The sun will not strike you by day nor the moon by night,

The Lord will keep your life.

I lift up mine eyes to the hills, 

And I wonder, I wonder where is my help? 

The Lord will keep you from all evil. 

He will keep your life.

 The Lord will keep you from all evil. 

He will keep your life.

He will keep your going out, 

and your coming in from this time forth, 

And forevermore. 

He will not let you stumble, 

He will not let you fall, The Lord is your keeper. 

The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 

The Lord will keep your life. 

I lift up mine eyes to the hills, 

And I wonder from where comes my help? 

My help it comes from the Lord, 

The maker of heaven and earth.

I lift up mine eyes to the hills 

And I wonder, I wonder where is my help?

What was the Lord God protecting us against when the Bible made mention of the sun striking by the day and the moon by night? The Psalm points to two negative emotions, fear and guilt, described as a night time terror and a day time shame.

When we are young, we are all afraid of the dark. Darkness can hide things - secrets, sins, sinister motives, evil intentions. Night brings a dark foreboding feeling of terror and evil. We all have experienced the pilo-erection of the hairs on the skin and the cold sweat on our brow when we walk down lonely, dark lanes. It is the fear of the unknown, of danger lurking in dark corners.

My grandson, James, learned to sleep by himself from about 6 months old. He used to require us to pat him to sleep and I would sing to him a simple chorus, 'I love You Lord.' However, I often had visions of James waking up at night fearing the darkness. But James is a brave boy and he settled back to sleep quickly; secured in the knowledge that his parents and grandparents are always there for him, even when he cannot see nor feel our presence. 

Like James, most of us learn to deal with our fears although some can be crippled by irrational and chronic anxieties. Such people conceive impending doom and worry over every little thing. When and if that happens,  the Shepherd's Psalm often comes to mind

'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.' Psalms 23:4 

In contrast to darkness, light exposes everything. When the sun rises, other threats loom, guilt and shame. Light exposes sin, even the hidden ones. In the Garden of Eden after committing the original sin, Adam and Eve covered their nakedness with fig leaves and hid from God. Why? Sin produces shame.

The way most Christians deal with their shame is to confess our sins and accept Christ’s forgiveness. But some continue to remain crippled by their guilt. They enter into a deep misery; feeling they must pay for their sin. Jesus has already paid the price and penalty; we confess our sin, we must let Jesus forgive.

Forgiveness brings release but guilt brings remorse. Some never experience release and they remain trapped in their remorse. They go around perpetually feeling bad about themselves. This is probably what is meant with the statement 'the sun will strike you by day.' Every morning after waking up with the sunrise, they wallow in their shame.

Fear and guilt, the threats of the sun by day and the moon by night; How do we deal with these? The Bible says to look to God. He will protect us. Dr Robert Solomon, Bishop Emeritus of the Methodist Church in Singapore advised to

• Repent, 
• Renounce
• Relinquish

these feelings of fear, guilt and shame. Then we will find Release.

Lionel