“I lift my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2)
What a beautiful picture being painted in this psalm. It starts with a gaze upon the mountains. I imagine the writer saying, “Wow!” Mountains can be breathtaking, and I picture the writer being captivated by them. The sentence does not stop there, however. There is a moment of clarity. The writer then writes a question all of us need to ask, “Where does my help come from?” I sense a lightbulb moment for the writer: “These mountains are stunning, but my help is not from the mountains, but from the One who created the mountains.”
I pray for us all to have this same moment of clarity. How shallow it is to worship an object instead of the Creator of the object! With God’s creation being beautiful and extremely captivating, this can be a challenge at times. Bodies of water take me to a place of peace. Something about lakes and oceans causes me to be filled with wonder. It is easy for me to become amazed at the body of water, without standing in awe of the One who spoke it into existence. The vastness of an ocean should leave my heart speechless as I ponder the vastness of my God. The ocean is a fishbowl in comparison to the beauty of God.
“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.” (Psalm 24:1-2)
Clearly, everything belongs to the Lord. Everything was created by Him. This is why it makes no sense to search for help in His creation rather than in Him. Help is not found in your financial status, but in the God of your provision. Help is not found in your company, but in the God who set your business plan in motion. Help is not found in a circumstance, but in the God who is sovereign over every second of every day. The application is simple and massively important: We must look past the mountains, and gaze upon the Lord of the mountains.
The psalmist could have easily stopped writing after being captivated by the mountains. But no, there was more that took place. It became clear: Help does not come from the created, but from the Creator. May all of us who follow Christ have this same mindset. Every gaze upon the mountain is an opportunity to worship the God of the mountain. Your joy is found in looking past the fishbowl, to gaze upon the all-satisfying beauty of the One of infinite worth. Fight every urge to find your help in the created. Your help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. Let me end in prayer.
Father,
We pray that this would be our heart’s cry. Protect us from treasuring anything other than you. Your creation is stunning, but we choose to look past the creation to find you. Lord, I pray for a mindset shift in your people. Make us people of pure hearts who will give up anything to have more of you. Give us eyes to look past the mountain to gaze upon you. Draw us to you, as you satisfy our souls.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen