He Keeps Me From All Harm?

SCRIPTURE: Ps. 121

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let 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.

OBSERVATION: I love this Psalm. It declares that my help comes from the Lord and if I look to him for help he will always protect me. Nothing will harm me and that is guaranteed 24/7; all day, all night without fail. He will watch over me without losing interest or getting weary. But as great as these promises are, I still have to square them with other things I read in the Bible. Take Job, for instance. That book opens by saying that Job did look to the Lord for his help. He was righteous and a man of integrity and yet it seems to me that he suffered quite a bit of harm, for no good reason. Where was God's promise of keeping Job from all harm? What does this Psalm mean when it says the Lord will keep us from all harm? This psalm was probably penned by David, who certainly did not have an easy life. He was driven from his home and had to constantly be on the run from king Saul who wanted to kill him for no other reason than being jealous him without cause. How could David write such words when he had suffered such injustice? By the way, I have suffered harm from some people who I have not wronged in any way. I have also suffered harm because of disobedience to God. But there are definitely times I was serving God with my whole heart and with integrity and have suffered cruel words and actions at the hands of others. Where was God then? Well, I think I have learned, like Job did, that God is faithful even when we are going through immense injustice or pain that is not due to our own disobedience or poor judgment. There is not one event in my life that God has not used to bring me some kind of benefit. That would not happen if I had not trusted him in spite of suffering. Processing pain while trusting God allows him to turn those ashes into beauty and turn mourning into joy. Going through pain without God just leaves scars, bitterness, regrets, anger, hopelessness, and other negatives which continue to haunt a person. So what is the conclusion of the matter?

APPLICATION: I can rejoice in the words of this psalm! God does indeed protect me and keep me from all harm. That statement does not mean I won't ever have problems or unjust suffering. It means that if I look to God as my help, even the hardest and most painful events in my life will not have a destructive effect on me.

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord, for being constantly vigilant in your watchcare over me! I rejoice in your protection and that I never have to fear coming to any harm. You will turn my mourning into dancing and every sorrow will turn to joy when I look to you as my Help. I love you and ask you to fulfill your Word in my life. May all those I love look to you as well. Keep us all in your tender care. In Jesus' Name, Amen.