Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?

2 My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.

4 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep;

5 The Lord himself watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand,

6 So that the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; it is he who shall keep you safe.

8 The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore.

This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen.

Anne Lamott tells us that we only need three words in prayer: Help. Thanks. Wow. This morning, prompted by a psalm heard yesterday in church, I want to focus on the first of these three. Where do you look for help? Friends and family? Folks at church? A therapist, doctor or lawyer? Triple A? Customer service? Google or ChatGPT? Where do you look when it comes to matters of the spirit, when there is need of healing of body, mind, heart, soul, when the brokenness of our world (witnessed in outbreak of war in the past week) raises fears?

According to the psalmist, if you’re looking for help, look to the hills. That got me thinking about what the hills represent in terms of the spiritual journey. Asked another way, in the Bible, what’s up with mountains?

For starters, they are off the beaten track. Maybe that’s why we read about them in Lent, a season which takes us into the wilderness. Trips to the mountains are a way to get out of the routines that can cloud spiritual vision.

There’s holy precedent. One of the first things we read about Jesus is that he went to the wilderness where he was tested. I’ve understood that as a time for him to get clear about mission. It can be a spiritually nourishing thing to go to the wilderness. A trip to the mountains, literal or figurative, can elevate us to see things clearly, giving us a longer view, things which may have been hard to see at ground level, in the daily grind. There are ways to move to that place without change in geography. Observance of the seasonal offering of Lent is one way. Meditating on the Lenten refrain “Lord have mercy” is really a request for help. A commitment to time of quiet contemplation on a regular basis is another.

In scripture, the mountains, the hills are places where people encounter God in some distincitve way. Moses received his call, and later the ten commandments on the mountaintop, where he saw God face to face. Elijah, despairing for his life, made his way to that same mountain, where he heard the still small voice of the Holy One, giving him guidance on how to move forward in hope. Jesus offered his greatest body of teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, a biblical echo of Moses receiving the law. As we heard at the end of the season of Epiphany, Jesus heard God’s voice speaking of belovedness when he ascended the mount of the transfiguration. On Mount Calvary, a gracious God was encountered as Jesus stretched out arms of love to draw us all into his saving embrace.

With that in mind, as we wonder where our help comes from, how can we move toward those elevated places where we encounter God? What will it take to get the kind of clarity and long view that comes with perspective from the peak? When have you had that experience?

I often hear people speak of spiritual mountaintop experiences. Often that happens on retreat, or in some other intentional time spent away. Moments of spiritual clarity and insight can come in small doses, in daily spiritual practices. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, we can ascend to a place where we put the rest of life on hold and practice the presence of God.

Finally, the mountains are images of constancy. They signal God’s faithfulness and gracious provision. They become safe places, holy places. Meditate this Monday on the ways that Psalm 121 speaks of God’s provision. And think this week about where you need help, where our broken world needs help. Where will that help be found?

Psalm 121 says that if we’re looking for help, we should look up. Look to God who we meet in that elevated place. Following Anne Lamott’s counsel: we need to say no more than “help!”

-Jay Sidebotham