Look at this picture. What do you see? Do you see the parking lot? The yard? The road sign? The telephone pole? Do you know where this picture was taken?
I took this picture from just outside my office. Now, you may be wondering why I took this random picture. Well, on my way over to the office this morning, my eyes were drawn to the hills in the distance. I have taken this drive countless times, and I could tell you almost everything that I pass. There are the neighbors' houses, the side streets and intersections, the mailboxes and telephone poles that line the street, etc. But today, I looked up beyond the immediate surroundings. Today, looked up and saw something that I knew was there but hadn't considered in a while. Today, I lifted my eyes up and saw the hills.
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
Where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. 4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.
5 The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. 6 The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.
7 The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. 8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.
These days it is easy to keep our heads down and only see what is immediately around us. It is easy to only notice the things that line the road. It is easy to be focused on what is directly in front of us. It's easy to worry about getting sick. It's easy to fret about finances. It's easy to focus on the obstacles in our way.
It's hard to look up. It's not easy to pull ourselves away from our concerns and lift our eyes to the hills. But that is exactly what we need to do. Now more than ever, we need to lift our eyes to the hills and trust the God who created those hills. As the psalm says, our help does not come from the obstacles in front of us; it comes from the Lord. He watches over us each and every day. He is always there for us. So, do not be discouraged. Do not be afraid. Don't hang your head. Look up. Lift your eyes to the hills and trust God.