The Keeping God

Turning to Psalm 121, and along with Psalm 23, this is probably the two most familiar Psalms in the Bible.

We're very, very familiar with them.

And sometimes our familiarity is such that we maybe lose, because we're so used to them, so used to singing them,

and we have memorized them, and I'm sure everybody here can sing this with their eyes closed and repeated.

Certainly from the metric, because we're so used to it.

But it's always worth going over these again and again.

As we know, it's a pilgrim psalm from Psalm 120 through to Psalm 134.

They're termed a song of ascent.

And these psalms were sung by the people as they made their way up to Jerusalem for the various feasts.

That's why they're termed songs of ascent.

And the great theme in this psalm is the idea of being kept.

Very recently, a prayer meeting, just maybe the last one I did one before,

we're also looking at that theme where we saw in 1 Peter chapter 5,

1 Peter 5 · chapter mention

1 Peter chapter 1, verse 5,

1 Peter 1:5

where we're kept by the power of God unto salvation, ready to be revealed at the last time.

And here again, we have this great idea and this great theme of being kept.

And you and I know it is the one thing, it is one of the things above all that we constantly pray for, to be kept.

Every day, we might pray for many things, and we do pray for many things, and about many things.

But we always pray to be kept, to be kept safe, to be kept from falling, to be kept from danger.

We pray to be kept from hurt, from committing grievous sin, to be kept from shame, to be kept.

The list is endless.

Every day we pray, and we might not be conscious of the fact we do,

but it is almost an automatic part of our prayer life that we pray in order to be kept.

And so, this is a really wonderful psalm.

It is such an encouragement to us, because we live in such an uncertain, such a difficult world, such a threatening world,

a world that is just so full of surprises, and often not good surprises,

that sometimes we fear, what will happen to me?

The Lord assures us of his keeping.

In this psalm, really, you could say that there are two aspects to it,

that the Lord, it proclaims that he is the keeper, and he promises to keep.

Now, the opening verse here, verse 1, is not really clear,

because it just says, I lift up my eyes to the hills.

And it doesn't, in a sense, expand on that,

because we don't know exactly what was in the psalmist's mind.

It could very well be that the hills were in his view.

Maybe he was nearing Jerusalem, and he was seeing the hills all around.

I don't know.

Maybe the psalmist felt oppressed, and that he wanted to run away.

You know, sometimes you feel hemmed in, feel claustrophobic,

and you feel you want to get away.

You feel everything is in on top of you.

And we know that David, like in Psalm 11, he says,

he expressed the desire that he might, like a bird, flee to the mountains.

That's the way he felt.

And I'm sure there are times that we felt like that as well.

I wish I could just fly away.

I wish I could just get away for a little,

because everything is pressing down upon you.

And, of course, again, the hills and mountains, they're great places.

I'm sure we've all, at different times, gone up into the hills.

And when you get up into the hills or into the mountains,

your perspective on life changes,

because you see things from a different perspective.

You're looking down on things.

And quite often, your whole,

it's not just that the vision of what you're seeing changes,

but sometimes it's almost therapeutic to your mind,

because you begin to see things,

maybe even issues and problems that you had.

You begin to see things more clearly.

And it's interesting how often, in fact, in Scripture,

we find God's people in the hills and in the mountains.

We find Jesus himself, that he used to go up into the mountain.

He would go apart into the mountain in order to pray.

It was in a mountain that he was transfigured.

It was in a mountain that Moses met with God.

And he met with God in such a powerful way

that when he came back down,

his face shone so brightly from being in the presence of God

that he had to wear a veil on his face.

The people couldn't look at him.

His face was shining so brightly.

It was on a mountain we find that Elijah

had his great prayer battle with the Lord.

It was in the mountain again that Elijah

discovered through the still, small voice

the presence of God.

And right throughout the Bible,

you will find the huge part that mountains and hills

have to play in the lives of God's people.

But when the psalmist is looking to the hills,

he's not looking to the hills

as his place of help and strength.

Now, we know that there is an element of what you would say

the hills are strong in the sense that

if you went away for 30 or 40 years,

supposing you went to live in Australia or Canada or somewhere

and you came back,

you would see massive change here in Stornoway.

But if you went around the island,

you would say, well, you know,

there's so many changes,

so many new houses,

places that were used to be there,

they're no longer there.

Gallows Hill is the same.

And the Oog Hills are the same.

And the Harris Hills are the same.

These are the things that are always foundational.

They're unchanging.

But again, the first psalm that we sang,

Psalm 125,

again talks of the hills.

Remember how it says there,

that as the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the Lord surrounds his people

from this time forth and forevermore.

But as a psalmist looks to the hills,

he's looking way beyond the hills

to where his help comes from.

His help doesn't come from the hills.

And he's not making any statement

that his help comes from the hills.

But it's quite possible

as he lifted up his eyes to the hills

and he saw the creative power of God

in the formation of these hills.

That his mind went out

and he began to think of the creator God.

Because it is God.

We read in Jeremiah in chapter 10,

verse 11,

Thus shall you say to them,

The gods who did not make the heavens

and the earth shall perish from the earth

and from under the heavens.

It is he who made the earth by his power,

who established the world by his wisdom,

and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.

And you know,

I'm sure there are many times as a Christian

that we stop because

the Bible makes it very clear to us

that the special revelation that we have

is in the word of God.

But there is a general revelation

that is given to us in the creation.

And we see God's power

and we see God's handiwork

in the sky.

It tells us from the Psalms as well

very clearly

that when we look up into the sky

on a starry night

and we see

the way that his fingers framed.

God's handiwork in the sky

and there's nothing random.

Whatever people will tell you today

about explosions

and this and that

and just coming together,

God had a deliberate plan.

God is a God of wisdom

and a God of order.

And he ordered and planned

and structured this world,

this whole universe.

And it is there as a great display

of his creative power.

And that's why there is such an attempt made

to undermine the creative power of God.

Because when we do that,

we take God out of the picture.

And of course,

it's been one of the most powerful weapons

in Satan's toolbox

where there's this attack upon the creation

of God as a creator God.

And when we look at the power

and the majesty

and the glory of our creation

and then we see the wisdom,

the intricacy of everything,

just go to the human body.

And we look at ourselves

and we marvel at

just how everything works.

It's quite extraordinary.

And so the psalmist

is realizing

as he's thinking about

the great wisdom that planned

and the great power

that brought into being.

He says,

that's where my help comes from.

And that's where your help

and my help comes from as well.

And I suppose

we've always got to ask ourselves

this question.

Is this God,

the God

that I lean upon

every single day

in all the situations

in my life?

Or do I depend

often on others?

Or do I depend on myself,

my own wisdom,

my own structures,

my own plans,

my own guidance?

And it's only when

I'm completely stuck

that I turn to the Lord.

You know,

all the time,

every day,

we should begin the day

with the Lord

and ask him

as a great,

wise,

altogether,

wonderful God

who loves us.

Let's not forget that.

The Lord loves us

more than ever

we could ever begin

to understand.

You know,

sometimes we find it difficult

to understand

how much the Lord loves us

because sometimes

we have real difficulty

loving ourselves

because of our sin.

Sometimes when we look

in at our own lives

and we see the failure

and we see all

that we've done wrong

and all these things

and sometimes we say,

oh,

what an awful person I am.

But we've got to remember

that we are his treasure

in this world.

We are his possession.

He's going to take

nobody and nothing else

out from this world

but you and me.

All his people.

And we mustn't lose sight

of that.

And it's important

to the Lord

because he is our keeper

because of that.

So we should every day

depend upon him.

And he is our covenant God.

He has entered into covenant

with us through his son.

With us an ending faithfulness.

Despite the fact

we disappoint him.

Despite the fact

we let him down.

And the Bible is full

of God's people

who let him down.

And you see your Davids

and you see your Peters

and all these.

And yet the Lord

brings them back.

And then in verse 3

after saying,

where my help comes

from the Lord

who made heaven and earth.

And then he says,

he will not let your foot

be moved.

He who keeps you

will not slumber.

And then in verse 4,

behold,

he who keeps Israel

will neither slumber

nor sleep.

And in a sense,

if you could hear

people singing this,

it's almost like

verse 3 is making

a statement.

He who keeps you

will not slumber.

And then the affirmative

is coming back

in verse 4.

How right you are.

He who keeps Israel

will neither slumber

nor sleep.

And so we are promised

this constant assurance

that we are being kept

by a God

who is constantly on guard,

constantly watching us,

never sleeps.

We know that a sentry,

when they were put on guard,

a sentry had to remain vigilant,

had to stay awake back,

in the way back,

in the old days,

if you slept on duty,

you would be shot.

It was such because

the whole camp

depended upon

your vigilance,

upon you being alert,

on you being awake.

And so the watchman,

wherever the watchman is,

it's an extraordinarily

important duty.

You've got to be,

you've got to be alert,

you've got to be watching.

And often the watchman's place

can be very difficult.

I remember my father

telling me during the war,

he was on the destroyers

and up above the bridge,

it wasn't like the crow's nest

as such,

like in the old sailing boats,

but it was something similar.

And he used to take turns

of watch up there,

irrespective.

And he was telling me like that

in the North Atlantic,

he was involved

in the Arctic convoys.

And you say sometimes,

and that would be a fearful day,

and you'd be up there,

the rain and the wind

and the ice

and everything like that.

But you had to be,

because you on that spot

were able to see beyond

what anybody else

would be able to see.

There's a,

in a sense,

almost a,

quite a,

when I say that,

I remember him telling me,

and this was earlier on

in the war,

when he was up there,

the first time he had been up there,

it was a really,

really wild night.

And when he was coming down

or an evening,

the other sailor

who was going up to relieve him

said,

Captain wants to see you.

So we thought,

what I wonder what this is.

So he went to the bridge

and the captain said to him,

you were up there

these last four hours,

yes?

Well, he said,

in future,

stop that screeching.

And you see,

there was a,

like a tannoy or whatever,

where you could get in touch

from there

down to the bridge.

And what would happen was,

my father,

to pass the time,

was presenting to himself

in Gaelic.

And he was putting out the line

and he was never the best singer,

but he would give full volume.

So for these four hours,

the captain was getting this,

blasting.

And he said,

I forbid you,

he said,

again,

to ever do that.

And my father said to him,

well,

I'm sorry,

but he said,

I was singing psalms

and the psalms I was singing

were actually prayers,

asking for God's protection.

And the captain said,

oh,

right,

in future,

do it quietly,

he said.

So,

and it was,

it was also interesting

that from that point,

and I'm totally digressing,

before the war,

my father felt

being called

into the ministry,

he had never preached.

And he thought

to himself,

well,

if I go forward

and present myself,

people will think

I'm trying to

get out of going

to the war.

So he said to the Lord,

Lord,

and nobody knew then

how long the war would last.

If you,

if you mean me to come through,

to go into the ministry,

take me through this war.

So he asked the captain,

he said,

would it be all right

if we're quiet

on the Lord's day,

if I take some of the

Lewis or Island men

who have Gaelic

and do a wee service?

And the captain said,

that's all right.

So he got his permission.

So that's where he,

where he first started preaching,

or as he said,

trying to preach

on the destroyer.

So it all came from

that night on,

on watch with,

what the captain termed,

screeching.

But the thing is that

it was,

it was a vital,

it was such an important place,

the watchman.

And even,

the thing is a watchman

might be very alert,

but might also

not be observant.

But here we have

the greatest watchman of all,

the Lord,

who,

who misses nothing.

Nothing will ever come

into your life.

Nothing will ever threaten you.

Nothing will ever come near you,

but he knows exactly what it is.

And nothing will touch you.

But by divine permission.

Just as the Lord

was the cloud of fire by day

and the cloud of,

pillar of fire by night

in the desert

with his people,

so he is still

with us as well.

And so he is this watchman

who protects us constantly.

And then it says,

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.

And again,

it's a beautiful idea

because we're not,

well, it's very timely

because the doctor,

Dr. Mosley,

he died.

And there's probably,

I don't know exactly,

but it's reckoned

it could be heat stroke

that contributed

to his death.

We sometimes don't hear,

do not understand

the intensity of the heat

that can be elsewhere.

But the Lord is,

the Psalm is saying,

and it's not,

I will make you a shade.

Like the Lord made Jonah.

Remember how he made a shade

for Jonah outside Nineveh.

The Lord is saying,

I won't make you a shade.

I am your shade.

I'm your shelter.

And when it says

the sun and the moon,

it really is talking

about everything.

It means daytime

and nighttime

and everything in between.

But we could almost,

you know,

we use the expression

24-7.

And at my,

at your right hand,

that is a place

of protection,

the place of defense.

And that's where the Lord

is saying that

he positions himself.

And the Lord will,

will keep you from all evil.

He will keep your life.

Now,

sometimes it's translated as soul.

I'll keep your soul

or keep your life.

But both in a sense

are the same

because life involves everything.

Body, mind and soul.

And as somebody said,

if the soul is kept,

then all is kept.

Because as we know,

there is nothing

more precious to us

than our soul.

You might have a bodyguard

and you might have

the best bodyguards.

They might have been

the best SAS soldiers

and who went into,

as we know,

many of them

go into security

and work as bodyguards

for people.

And you'd say to yourself,

wow,

this will be the best bodyguard

in the world.

Yes,

he may keep your body,

but he can't keep your soul.

There's nobody

that can protect your soul

but the Lord.

And so he is the protector

of body,

mind and soul.

He's protecting everything

with us

that we have.

The Lord will keep you

from all evil.

In other words,

keep you from evil

and keep evil from you.

Now,

that doesn't mean

that we live a cushioned life.

We all know

that we have struggles

in it.

But whatever struggles

we go through,

it is by divine permission

with holy end in view.

And then it says,

the Lord will keep you

going out

and you're coming in

from this time forth

and forevermore.

You and I know

that our life

is filled with

going out

and coming in.

Going out to work,

coming home afterwards.

Going out on holiday,

coming back.

Going to school,

coming back.

Wherever it is,

our life is involved

in constants,

constantly going out

and going in.

And again,

it really is this idea

of encapsulating everything.

Every day,

going out and in.

Every month,

going out and in.

It means that the Lord

is with you at work,

he's with you at home.

He's with you during the day,

he's with you at night.

It means that he's with you

wherever you go,

whenever you go.

It's this constant idea

of his presence,

his help,

his keeping,

his support.

It governs everything

from the dawn of our life

to the dusk,

from our birth

to the grave,

all the time,

all the way through.

And the beauty of this psalm

is that it deals

with our past,

it focuses on our present,

and it is also speaking

about the future,

not just to the end of time,

but time without end.

That's the Lord we have.

That's the keeper we have.

And we're doing tonight,

all we're doing

is refreshing our mind,

helping us to remember

who it is

who is keeping us.

Nobody in the world

has a greater keeper.

Nobody in the world

has a greater protector.

Nobody in the whole wide world

has a security

like the Christian.

Let us pray.

Lord our God,

we give thanks again

for your word

and for reminding us

so simply

of just the marvel

of who you are

and what you do

in us and for us.

And we give thanks

that you preserve us,

that you keep us.

And even when we

can't keep ourselves,

and how often that is,

you still keep us.

And we give thanks,

Lord,

for the fact

that you renew us

and you restore us.

And even when we wander off,

you bring us back.

You are the good shepherd,

the good shepherd

who knows

and loves his sheep.

So we pray

your blessing

upon each one of us

tonight here.

Again,

we pray for Norman McKenzie,

remember him

as he goes to hospital

in Aberdeen.

Pray that you'll be

with surgeon

and give him healing

and restoration.

We pray for Annabelle

and Angelbraith,

Lord,

and we pray

that your healing hand

will be upon both of them

and bring them home

soon again.

Lord,

we remember

Christine McMillan

and the boys,

Andrew and John

and respective families.

Lord,

we commit to your care

and keeping

and we're reminded

just as we heard

how suddenly

our lives can change,

how uncertain life is.

Help us to live

in preparation

for the great change

that will come one day.

Grant us your grace

and be with us

as we will soon

make our way home.

Part us with your blessing,

O Lord,

we pray.

Take away our every sin

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

We're going to sing this psalm

in the Scottish Psalter.