The Staying Power of Seeking Him
/We seek.
He keeps.
Behold His Glory.
Be held by His Grace.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does 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.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on 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 forth and forevermore.”
(Psalm 121:1-8, ESV)
Reading this passage verse by verse can take on a whole new depth of meaning if we will allow ourselves to be taken on a pilgrimage of faith by way of seeking Him throughout scripture, looking at specific words within the Word, and understanding when, why, how, to and for whom it was written.
These eight verses are such an exhortation of truth. The psalmist spoke these words over the life of the Jewish pilgrims on ascent to Jerusalem when it was originally penned, and God uses the same words to encourage those who are in Christ on a pilgrimage throughout the ups and downs, twists and turns of life as we know it in our current day and age.
In this passage, the Hebrew word for “keep” is “shamar,” which means to preserve, protect, and guard. That little word, keep, literally means God will preserve our life, protect our minds, and guard our hearts.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7, ESV)
The Greek word for “guard” in Phil 4:7 is “phroureó,” which means to be a watcher in advance and to protect.
Christ alone is the staying power in a believer’s life. If we are in Christ, we are held fast by the work of the cross. We are guarded by His grace. We are protected by his peace.
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” (Isaiah 26:3-4, ESV)
God’s everlasting love and never changing truth is found only in Christ. When we seek Him, we will find Him, and when we find Him and give our lives to Him, He keeps us.
That’s just who He is, and He loves us just as we are. His character is consistent. His promises are true. His love never fails.
Just keep seeking.
He’ll do the keeping.
Behold and be held.
Now and forevermore.