Yet another new year!  Beginning of every year is full of anxieties like how is this year going to be for me and my family and for my country. This anxiety will be a continuous process, not only in the beginning of a year but for ever if we are unable to understand the source of our help.

 Where from our help comes?

The Psalmist in Ps:121 took his eyes unto the Lord for help and explained the reason why he did so. We do seek God but cannot explain why we do so, because we do not even understand why we should look to Lord. We always look to God for our needs to be fulfilled and when it is fulfilled we some time take it as a coincidence. A person who is miraculously healed by God from an incurable disease later claims that he was not at all affected by that disease and had been wrongly diagnosed because of a faulty clinical apparatus. God is not going to give the disease to him again but definitely He will make him understand the misconception. There may be an argument that if God is the healer then how come a man who does not know God gets healed.  Arguments may go on but it is obvious that God made him and He watches him and heals him. It is better for us to know and understand why we should look upon Him.

Understand God and His Mighty Power

The Psalmist understood Him completely. He addressed God as the maker of heaven and earth. We are amazed when we got to know that God had divided the Red Sea into two and had calmed the storm. If we understand Him as the creator then these things are not wonders but His simple deeds.  With this understanding we can rely upon Him for things that are impossible.  Creator knows everything and has control over His creation.

Bible tells that the existence of God is even before the origin of time. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. Nothing was there to scale the time. God created Sun and then day and night. “God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.” Genesis 1:5

Thus the creator of day and night has control over it and He does not sleep or slumber. With this understanding the psalmist was confident of God’s protection and provision.

“You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side,ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyesand see the recompense of the wicked.” Psalms 91: 5-8

God blessed Isaac at Gerar when Gerar was affected by famine. No calamity is beyond God’s control.

“And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.”Genesis 26:12-13

Understand the Presence of God

After understanding God’s sovereignty Psalmist cherished His omnipresence and brought it forth in Psalm 139. God’s presence is not only in heaven and earth but also in the valley of death too. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalms 23:4

The Lord Will Keep Our Life (Ps 121:7)

Psalmist had a very clear understanding of what Jesus has said in John 10:10. “…….I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Because of the burden of sin people are often tired of their life and ready even to die. They think death is a remedy for their suffering. But they do not understand the cruelty of eternal death where one has to crush his teeth and suffer lifelong in the engulfing fire. That is why Jesus prayed to His father that ” I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.” John 17:15.  Notwithstanding this, Jesus often assured of his presence to mankind not only in this life and also in the life after death.

” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” – John 11:25. John recorded Jesus’ assurance of dwelling units to mankind in heaven. Job had proclaimed this belief before the birth of Jesus. ” For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,”Job 19:25-26. Because of the abundance of eternal life Jesus encourages people not to be afraid of their physical life.  There is a life worth living and is waiting!

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!” –  Luke 12:4-5.

Many took this as an encouragement to lay one’s life for faith sake. Laying our life for the sake of our faith is not in our purview. It is not our decision but God’s exclusive decision. So no need to fear. There is no need to motivate any one towards martyrdom. Such motivation is of no use. Because God is the one who can fill the heart of a man with love and he will face persecution without any fear. Instead motivate people to love one another.

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18.

Finally, Psalmist gave an assurance of God’s presence in our daily life, wherever we go. He specifically emphasised a time for this assurance. ‘From this time forth’. It is time we got to know the mighty presence of God. Let us have the wonderful presence of God not only in this year but even in the life to come. “The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. Psalms 121: 8