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Psalms of Trust
Pastor Lisa Horst Clark
February 3, 2019
Psalm 121:
I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where is my help to come?
My help comes from God,
the maker of heaven and earth.
God will not let your foot be moved;
the One who watches over you will not fall asleep.
Behold, the One who keeps watch over Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Holy One watches over you;
and is your shade at your right hand,
So that the sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
God shall preserve you from all evil;
and is the One who shall keep you safe.
God shall watch over your going out and your coming in,
from this time on and forevermore.
Psalms of Trust
It is a classic tale about the Pacific Northwest to say that we are one of the few places that has the phrase: “The Mountain is out today,” when suddenly the skies are clear and the clouds have lifted and before you is a mountain. And I can say that I know in my brain that the mountain doesn’t actually move, but when we have cloud cover even those great objects suddenly are absent for me. More than I would like to admit, through my own distraction or busyness or eyes on the road, means that there are times when I look up and am surprised to remember that there is a mountain there.
I was driving home on Wednesday when I heard a piping voice from the back seat say that the sky was beautiful and it took me a few turns before the car was facing in a direction where I could see the sunset, and Wednesday it was remarkably stunning. Driving home I was going to tell my spouse, Josh, to come out and see, but I pulled into the driveway and there he was on the ladder with a camera pointed to the sky and the mountains. And I didn’t know that a sunset could be news, but I saw everyone I know trying to post pictures of the sun on this one day when the sky was incredible, or just saying, “If you’re in Seattle, go outside and look up; face west and look up.” I know that in theory the mountains are always there; it’s not like they’re going to move on us. And yet, I require the reminder; it takes a community to say, “Lift your eyes to the hills and see always there.”
“I lift my eyes to the hills from whence my help will come.” The Psalm itself was likely referring to Jerusalem, which is on a hill, but it is calling us to remember God, the Holy One. And I wonder for myself at the God whose presence is of ages, of ancient days, who is so steady when I am easily distracted, who is even still when the clouds come and when they stay, for even when I look at the horizon and all I see is blankness, beyond that which I cannot see the Holy remains. And maybe in times when we forget or wonder or it seems unbelievable, perhaps we can sing the song to one another.
The Psalms are a book of prayers and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say whatever prayer you might be feeling, it’s in here somewhere. There are 150 Psalms in the book, songs to God made for community. I am struck both by how they are beautiful and how they are all remarkably human, for if you are reading them you find that wherever you are you aren’t alone. If you’re feeling grateful, if you’re feeling lonesome, if you’re feeling so angry that words turn to fire on your tongue, if you are feeling heartbroken and you don’t even know how to begin to pray, if you feel content or surrounded by grace, if your heart feels overflowing with joy, you aren’t alone there. Throughout our story of faith there has been someone who has been there, too, and someone has found the words to sing what might be held in silence in your heart.
The Psalms are not about a pe
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By First Congregational Church, BellevuePastor Lisa Horst Clark
February 3, 2019
Psalm 121:
I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where is my help to come?
My help comes from God,
the maker of heaven and earth.
God will not let your foot be moved;
the One who watches over you will not fall asleep.
Behold, the One who keeps watch over Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Holy One watches over you;
and is your shade at your right hand,
So that the sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
God shall preserve you from all evil;
and is the One who shall keep you safe.
God shall watch over your going out and your coming in,
from this time on and forevermore.
Psalms of Trust
It is a classic tale about the Pacific Northwest to say that we are one of the few places that has the phrase: “The Mountain is out today,” when suddenly the skies are clear and the clouds have lifted and before you is a mountain. And I can say that I know in my brain that the mountain doesn’t actually move, but when we have cloud cover even those great objects suddenly are absent for me. More than I would like to admit, through my own distraction or busyness or eyes on the road, means that there are times when I look up and am surprised to remember that there is a mountain there.
I was driving home on Wednesday when I heard a piping voice from the back seat say that the sky was beautiful and it took me a few turns before the car was facing in a direction where I could see the sunset, and Wednesday it was remarkably stunning. Driving home I was going to tell my spouse, Josh, to come out and see, but I pulled into the driveway and there he was on the ladder with a camera pointed to the sky and the mountains. And I didn’t know that a sunset could be news, but I saw everyone I know trying to post pictures of the sun on this one day when the sky was incredible, or just saying, “If you’re in Seattle, go outside and look up; face west and look up.” I know that in theory the mountains are always there; it’s not like they’re going to move on us. And yet, I require the reminder; it takes a community to say, “Lift your eyes to the hills and see always there.”
“I lift my eyes to the hills from whence my help will come.” The Psalm itself was likely referring to Jerusalem, which is on a hill, but it is calling us to remember God, the Holy One. And I wonder for myself at the God whose presence is of ages, of ancient days, who is so steady when I am easily distracted, who is even still when the clouds come and when they stay, for even when I look at the horizon and all I see is blankness, beyond that which I cannot see the Holy remains. And maybe in times when we forget or wonder or it seems unbelievable, perhaps we can sing the song to one another.
The Psalms are a book of prayers and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say whatever prayer you might be feeling, it’s in here somewhere. There are 150 Psalms in the book, songs to God made for community. I am struck both by how they are beautiful and how they are all remarkably human, for if you are reading them you find that wherever you are you aren’t alone. If you’re feeling grateful, if you’re feeling lonesome, if you’re feeling so angry that words turn to fire on your tongue, if you are feeling heartbroken and you don’t even know how to begin to pray, if you feel content or surrounded by grace, if your heart feels overflowing with joy, you aren’t alone there. Throughout our story of faith there has been someone who has been there, too, and someone has found the words to sing what might be held in silence in your heart.
The Psalms are not about a pe