Do you ever feel like you just need a change of pace? Maybe your time spent with God and his word seem fruitless or hurried and you feel the need to slow down. You long for something that will be more meditative, more contemplative. We live in a world that is in fast motion. We get information at our fingertips constantly through social media and the news; so many things are bearing down on us. Our minds and souls were not meant to carry this much.

I feel this too, and I am planning on using this summer to slow the pace and spend time in the psalms. I want to sit with them. I want to go line-by-line. I want to waste my time meditating on these truths. So, I’m starting what I’m calling “Summer in the Psalms.” It will be a series spent in different psalms throughout the summer. I don’t know how many we’re going to do, but we are going to walk through them slowly. If you want to join me on this journey through the psalms this summer, then tune into the Podcast Holistic Highlights, my Substack or YouTube to follow along.

Going Up

Today, we will look at our first psalm in the Summer in the Psalms series: Psalm 121. This psalm is part of a collection of psalms called the Psalms of Ascent. It begins with Psalm 120 and goes all the way to Psalm 134, fifteen psalms total. They are known as the “Pilgrim Songs”because the Jewish people would use these as they would journey “up” to Jerusalem to celebrate one of the festivals (Passover, Feast of Weeks, or Feast of Tabernacles). Exodus 34:24 states the command to make this journey three times a year.

This path was a well-worn path for many of the patriarchs long before these psalms were compiled. Abraham was the first to go up to Jerusalem when he went to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice according to the command of God. God intervened and provided a substitute, sparing Isaac’s life. Jacob was next as he traveled to seek a wife and God revealed himself to him in a vision of a ladder extended to heaven. He exclaims, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” David purchased this plot of land and built an altar to the Lord. Later, Solomon, his son would build the temple on this same piece of land.

In the New Testament, Jesus made this journey many times with his family and other pilgrims, most likely singing these songs as they traveled. One of those trips was the one on which he was left behind at the temple (Luke 2:41-46). Jesus would later travel this same path when he made his triumphal entry through the Beautiful Gate on a donkey. He was fully aware that the welcoming crowd would soon turn on him and call for his crucifixion. Our distress is joined with all the other pilgrims who have gone before us. Likewise, our deliverance is found in the one who walked this path before us.

The psalms of ascent are separated in three sections:

* Psalm 120-124 Distress

* Psalm 125-129 Confidence in God

* Psalm 130-134 Communion with him in his house

This pattern reminds me so much of our walk through this world into eternal communion with our Savior who journeys with us.

These psalms literally ascend as the pilgrims would physically ascend the hill into Jerusalem. Many Jewish writings even suggest that the priest would walk up each of the fifteen steps into the temple singing these songs on each step. They have a very prominent place in Jewish culture, but also in our lives as pilgrims on a journey.

The Psalms of Ascent served as a reminder to the Jewish people of their journey out of exile and so for us it’s a reminder that this journey called life can be hard and at times overwhelming, but we have a well-worn path before us and a well-seasoned Savior by our side. We need seasons where we are able to slow down, savor God and the simple truths found in Scripture. The psalms are a perfect place to waste time in. So let’s begin.

Where Does My Help Come From?

Psalm 120 begins in a very low place, a cry of holy discontentment and Psalm 121 — which is our first Psalm for this summer — continues that movement as it expresses the search for help along this hard and uphill journey.

We are just going to look at the first two verses this week: Psalm 121:1-2:

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

It’s fascinating that the second step we take up the ascent would begin with a question of where our help comes from.

Psalm 121 is perhaps a well-known psalm for many. Maybe you’ve even memorized it. I never really noticed it until I begin studying it that the first line of this psalm just seems odd to me. Psalm 121:1 says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills, from where does my help come from?” I guess I never asked the question before of the text. What does that even mean? I lift up my eyes to the hills? Does it just mean he is looking at the physical terrain or is there something more to it? The psalmist asks a question in verse one and then answers his question in verse two.

My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

In that time, the hills or mountains were called the high places and it was where idol worship took place. So, with that in mind, the psalmist is saying I have lifted my eyes to the hills and have found no help. He is acknowledging the fact that maybe he’s gone to these things and sought help from people or idols or locations and found them powerless to help. The only help that he will receive is from the One who made the hills and the mountains. The Maker of heaven and earth. The One who rules over all. We are never safe until we look to God alone. He frees us from fears that are irrational and rational.

As the pilgrims ascended the hill toward Jerusalem, this question rings out: Where does my help come from? If it’s not in the hills or high places, if it’s not in idols or people or places, then where does it come from? Perhaps they wondered if they would find their help in the city, in Jerusalem or in the high places erected by their forefathers for false worship, or maybe even their own loftiness was where they hoped to find rescue, but none of these can help. We must look higher than these earthly substitutes to find where our help comes from. It comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Every other pursuit will prove pointless.

Do you feel helpless right now? Does your situation cause you to seek help in all the wrong places? As we lift up our eyes to the hills, let us lift our gaze a little higher to the Maker of heaven and earth. The Maker of the hills is where our help is found.

Joy in Action

Here are some practical ways to “slow the pace” this summer.

* Sit with each word of the verse. Pay attention to which word God’s Spirit is highlighting in your heart. Sit with that word. Form it into a prayer and put it into action.

* Did you know that looking up while covering one eye can actually be used as a sensory distraction for someone battling anxiety? It only gives temporary relief, but isn’t it amazing that our Creator has so wired our bodies to regulate by looking up? Next time you feel anxious, cover one eye and look up and remind yourself where your help comes from.

* Memorize these two verses and use them as a breath prayer whenever you feel anxious, needing to make a decision, disciplining your children, or caught in a mental battle. Remind yourself of this truth that the God who made the stars sees you and helps you. You do not have to carry it alone.

Christian Life Coaching

As a Christian life coach, my heart is to help you grow in the God-given confidence that comes from knowing who you are in Christ. True confidence isn’t about striving or self-promotion—it’s about humbly submitting to God, trusting His plans, and walking boldly in the identity He’s given you. As you draw near to Him and resist the lies of the enemy, you’ll begin to see transformation not just in how you see yourself, but in how you show up in the world. Together, we’ll uncover what’s holding you back, align your steps with God’s truth, and walk forward in faith—anchored, equipped, and empowered by His Spirit. Begin your journey today.

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