Psalm 121

What do you see when you look at a mountain? Not with physical eyes; imagine, speculate, philosophically consider. What images come to mind as you gaze at majestic mountain scenery? I think of beauty. I see challenges; peaks calling out to be scaled. I imagine castles strategically situated to repel every attacker. The writer of psalm 121 must have been struck with irony. Here he was walking to Jerusalem, it is a psalm of ascent, and he must have been in great need. As he stared at the hills upon which Jerusalem was situated he was prompted with a question; "From where does my help come?" Some in his party may have answered the question by pointing to the walls around the city. Another may have mentioned the king's army or his treasury. Perhaps the writer was hoping for the generosity of God's people. But then it hit him. None of these people were the source of his help. Verse 2 spells out the hidden yet obvious answer to his question. Help comes from no one other than God himself. That is an important lesson that we must never forget. A lesson I need to recall when I visit the mountains.
Stuart