Psa 121:1-8 A Song of Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills--from where will my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.
This
psalm is the second in a collection of 15 psalms with essentially the same
title – “A Song of
Ascents”. They begin with a prayer of distress from one
who is far from home (Ps 120) and concludes with a call to praise in the
sanctuary of Zion (Ps 134). While this title has led to a variety of
interpretations and approaches to this collection of psalms, it seems that
there is consensus that the title points to songs of pilgrimage. Three times each year the men of Israel (yes I know I said men) were to come to
the temple in Jerusalem and present themselves before the Lord (Deuteronomy
16:16). These fifteen Psalms, called the songs of degrees (elevation,
journey to a higher place, go up), were to be sung as they ascended the temple
mount.
Despite
all the distractions of the noise and bustle of the city, the pilgrims wind
their way up the hill to the temple, in constant conversation with God. At
another time in history Brother Lawrence writes of practicing an awareness of the
presence of God in the midst of our busy lives: “In the noise and clatter of my
kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different
things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the
blessed sacrament”. [1] As we journey towards Easter, perhaps this
idea can become part of our own spiritual pilgrimage. As we go about our daily
lives, let us learn to be in constant conversation with God.
Prayer: “God, I want to give you every minute…I shall try to keep you in mind every moment of my waking hours….I shall try to let you be the speaker and direct every word. I shall try to let you direct my acts. I shall try to learn your language”.
Frank Charles Laubach[2]
The Eighth Sunday after
Epiphany
Protected by God Scripture reading taken from A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants p.95
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