Psalm 121 – Where My Strength Comes From

“I lift up 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

Every day we need to realize that we are weak, God is strong, and that he wants to give us strength.

I talked to a parent this week who, last week, was so discouraged that she will be doing this parent thing for at least another ten years. But we talked about getting strength from God, not from success.

She said, “I’m experiencing freedom that I haven’t experienced for a while. We still have tension. I continue to work hard with my daughter and her challenges, but I feel like I’m a step ahead. I feel like I’m releasing the pressure of approval from others and accepting my role as a servant of Christ. That has done so much for me. I can keep going when I feel like giving up. I can maintain my cool and that is having a positive effect on my daughter. She seems to be less volatile. I’ve been a Christian for a long time but I’m learning more about relying on God’s strength. It’s really interesting what it is doing to me daily. I just hope I can keep my focus in the right direction.”

I like that word focus. That’s what the psalmist is saying in this passage. His focus is on God. That’s where the strength comes from.

It’s something we all need in our lives and just like the mountains seen outside of the window in the morning, we can trust that God will provide the stability needed to manage our lives.

Lord, please show me where my stress points are challenging my ability to rely on you. I want to grow in the daily provision of your strength. I pray that you’ll remind me regularly by just looking out at creation to see that you’re in control. Amen.