Sept 22-29

A Journey of a Thousand Steps

One morning this week, I got up and put on my Sketchers, with no tennis shoes available, and I took off for a walk down a country road. Rough caliches lined the road, and deep sloping ditches framed the winding, uphill start. I usually take a morning walk on a track or subdivision street, so I instantly noticed the difference. Rocks, big and small, and the unevenness of the path caused me, more than once, to turn my ankle. I didn’t get hurt, but I will tell you that I was a bit more cautious of where I placed my foot and had a little rush of fresh air enter my lungs each time I almost dropped my ankle to the road. I thought about Psalm 121, known as the traveler’s psalm, I guess particularly because of the line, “He will watch your coming and going.” However, another phrase caught my eye: “He will not let your foot slip.” As I walked, I prayed this beautiful psalm and I thought how significant it was in my life particularly this week, as not only physically He watches over us and keeps us from harm, but in every aspect, our help comes from the Maker of heaven and earth. I found myself singing “Praise You in the Storm” which contains a large portion of this psalm as its lyrics.

I said goodbye to my own traveler this week when I put Lauren on a plane. I prayed for each of my children, now away from home, to look to their Lord for help, the One who created all things. I prayed that their foot would not slip. I prayed that He would never take His eye off of them, never slumbering or sleeping. I prayed for Him to be their shade by day, their light in the night, to keep them safe from all harm-to watch over their lives.

I also said goodbye to my cousin who went Home to the Lord, and I remembered the comfort in “The Lord will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore. His comfort, His provision, His sovereignty, His protection are eternal promises in every line of this psalm. May you, too, take comfort in the traveler’s psalm this day.

Join Bev and the rest of us at Cover to Cover. We are at the threshold of starting the New Testament. It would be a great time to join us, if you are considering reading the Bible chronologically. Two things are certain: we travel together here on this earth, and you will not be the same when you take this journey through His Word.

Psalm 121

 1 I lift up my eyes to the hills-
       where does my help come from?

 2 My help comes from the Lord,
       the Maker of heaven and earth.

 3 He will not let your foot slip-
       he who watches over you will not slumber;

 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
       will neither slumber nor sleep.

 5 The Lord watches over you-
       the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

 6 the sun will not harm you by day,
       nor the moon by night.

 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm-
       he will watch over your life;

 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going
       both now and forevermore.