Canon Rob's Reflections

Although we are now in the penitential Season of Lent and we don’t have flowers in Church, today is also St David’s Day and the picture on the left is to celebrate his special day and also a reminder to pray for the people of Wales for whom this day is very special as they celebrate their Patron Saint. The cathedral at St David’s will be full of rejoicing today!


The psalm set for today is also a reason to rejoice. It has long been a favourite with a great number of people and one often chosen for funeral services because it brings great comfort and encouragement. Without doubt Psalm 121 is a beautiful psalm which expresses enormous confidence in God’s protection and help. Surrounded, as we are, by the Chilterns, it also seems even more appropriate: “I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” [Verses 1 and 2.] There is no hesitation between these two verses: such is his trust and faith, the author of the psalm surely knows the answer to the question before he asks it. It is possible that the psalm will have been used by pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem and you may be able to picture them, and yourself, walking through the countryside towards the special place you are heading for. The first half of verse 3 is an assurance that God will keep the pilgrims safe as they journey: “He will not suffer your foot to stumble” and, unlike other gods, like the fertility god Baal, He will never cease from doing so: “He who watches over you will not sleep. Behold he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber or sleep.” [Verse 3b and 4.] At this point you may find it helpful to read a short passage from the First Book of Kings where the Prophet Elijah challenges those who believe in Baal and shows them who the real God is. [1 Kings 18.22-40 and especially verse 27 where Elijah tells the followers of Baal to shout to him as loud as they can, in case he is asleep!] Note also that the reference to Israel in verse 4 of the psalm suggests that it is not only for pilgrims but can also be about, and for, the people of God. They are His chosen people. He is in charge of them and will always look after them.


There is yet another way of looking at Psalm 121. From Verse 3 onwards it is a thanksgiving to God for His love and care and this leads the authors of some of my commentaries to suggest the psalmist is in trouble personally. So, if we follow this line of thinking it is not just appropriate for pilgrims or even a nation but for an individual who is in crisis and is looking for help beyond that which a fellow human being can offer. It is the heart-felt cry, “God help me!” The cry which, as you ponder the second half of the psalm, is answered by a growing confidence that God does indeed help when He is called upon to do so. God, the Creator of heaven and earth, will even protect those who travel from the scorching sun and, during the night, from the effects of the moon, which were believed to include lunacy and leprosy. “The Lord himself watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand, So that the sun shall not strike you by day, neither the moon by night.” [Verse 5 and 6.] 


More than that, God who is the giver of life will protect you and watch over you forever. As verse 7 puts it, “The Lord shall keep you from all evil; it is he who shall keep your soul.” Going on a long journey or pilgrimage was potentially hazardous, as it still can be, and the promise of God’s protection continues to the very end of today’s psalm: “The Lord shall keep watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth and for evermore.” Did the author, I wonder, want us to apply his psalm not just to a pilgrimage, but to the journey of life itself?