Trust in the LORD who guards you where he sends you

Good morning, as you may have guessed my name is Shane Hawkins. And I want to start by expressing how happy I am to be here. It is genuinely a delight to be standing in front of you this morning. Everyone has been so gracious the past few days. Thank you so much for inviting me. It has been a long journey for my wife and I that has brought us here and I’m not just talking about the flight. We have spent months trying to find where it is that God would have us serve him. And I know it’s been a long journey for you all as well. You’ve likewise been praying, wondering, and searching to see what God would have next for your church. So it seemed appropriate to talk about a text in Scripture that describes how to take a journey and do it well. Would you please open your Bibles to Psalm 121.

I’ll read the psalm with you in a moment, but first notice the title at the top of the psalm. This is a song of Ascents. Psalms 120-134 are all the songs of Ascents. What that means is that these were songs that pilgrims would sing as they journeyed to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is set up in the hills. So whenever you journey to it, you always “go up” to Jerusalem. You “ascend” to Jerusalem. The Jews would travel to Jerusalem 1-3 times every year for various festivals. And these songs were specifically set aside as songs for that journey. This is a long journey, a potentially dangerous journey. But God has sent the pilgrims on this journey, and he will guard them on their way. The Lord has set both my family and this church family on these journeys and he guards on the way. So if you’re a note take, he’s the big thing I want to say this morning:

Main Point – Trust in the LORD who guards you where he sends you

Now let’s read the text and see if we find that idea in there. Psalm 121

Prayer

This passage lends itself to a pretty simple outline. When you look at it you can see in the formatting for a lot of translations the verses are paired off, 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8. So 4 pairs. The first pair is an introduction, it uses personal pronouns - I, me, my. The rest of the psalm uses second person - you, your. So we have 1 pair that’s going to tell us what the psalm is about and then 3 pairs following. So I’ll set this psalm up and then give you three points this morning.

The first two verses tell us that he lifts his eyes to the hills and wonders where help will come from. Imagine you’re on a long journey to the temple in Jerusalem. God has called you to go there to worship him. But as you look to the hills ahead of you, it hits you: this is going to be a long and difficult journey. You’re going to encounter so many troubles on the way. If you’re going to make it, you’re going to need help. What will help you?

Each of us has moments where we recognize we need some help. And each of us is prone to look somewhere for it. Now, I love reading and learning and so when I need some wisdom or help, I often think - Is there a good book about this? I need to read something. Some of you might instinctively open up Amazon and say, what can I order that will get me out of this predicament, maybe our money will save us. Or maybe your first instinct is to call someone - “Mom, it’s me again.” or you get together with that friend immediately to talk. And there are some of us who take pride in the fact that we’re fully capable of helping ourselves. We don’t need anyone.

But our psalmist says, I’m about to demonstrate why each of those is wrong. If you’re going to make through the hills on the dangerous journey that I’m sending you. You’re going to need help from God almighty himself. He’ll give us 3 things the Lord guards us from or the word he uses is “keep”.

The first is for those of us who think we can help ourselves or figure our own way out of a struggle.

Point 1 - The LORD will guard you in your weakness (vs. 3-4)

There are a couple things that it says WON’T happen here. God won’t let your foot be moved (whatever that means) and he won’t sleep. And whenever the Bible promises us that something won’t happen or it tells us not to do something, it’s because the opposite tends to be true. We tend to think that something WILL happen or we are prone TO DO something. And the same is true here.

First is that phrase, he won’t let your foot be moved. Now that is awkward in English. Unfortunately, it’s even more awkward in Hebrew. But the basic idea is that he will make your steps steady and you won’t slip. Slipping when you walk can range anywhere from hilarious to embarrassing to fatal. And if you’re on a long journey to Jerusalem over rocks and hills. Slipping is a genuine danger.

Secondly, he states that the one who keeps you will neither slumber nor sleep. The word for “the one who keeps you” is the same word elsewhere translated as watchman. The watchman is the one who guards the people at night. And he better not fall asleep. That’s why they typically would rotate watchmen. You’ve got three or four night shifts. Each is three or four hours long. You don’t want one man there every night for the whole night. Why? It’s simple. That watchman will definitely fall asleep. Danger will go unnoticed. But what if the LORD is the watchman? He never sleeps. He never tires. He’s always vigilant. It would be foolish to walk up to the LORD and say, “Ok, your shift is up, let me a weak frail sleepy human take your place.”

My wife and I have four boys, and let me tell you each pregnancy was scary. Pregnancy is scary. You love that little life in the womb so much, and every little thing that happens which is unusual gives you anxiety, “Is this baby ok? Is my wife ok?” There’s 9 months of worrying. And each time I found myself saying, “I can’t wait until this baby is born so that I can hold him in my arms and know that he’s ok.” But then it occurred to me, how foolish! While the baby is in the womb, he is completely and utterly under God’s watchful eye, and I thought to say, “God, I’d like to relieve you as watchman and be the one who watches over the baby instead.” You realize this quickly after the baby is born, that I’m still helpless. I can’t save this child from danger. I can’t save this child from sin. I’m too weak to be the watchman.

Each of us is weak. We slip. We sleep. We can’t guard ourselves on the journey much less guard anyone else. Look ahead to where God has called you. Are you a spouse? Are you a parent? Has God sent you to school? Has he given you a job, a career? Is there a ministry he’s placed in front of you? Each of these is a calling that when left to yourself you will fail at. Can we be honest about that? You’re not strong enough. You will slip. You might think you can take this into your own hands and with enough hard work you’ll make it, but regardless of how hard you try to stay awake, eventually you’ll fall asleep at the wheel. You need a better watchman. Someone who doesn’t sleep, who doesn’t slumber, who can guard your steps.

So let’s all start by recognizing, we’re too weak to watch over the city. We need help. There are undoubtedly a lot of people in this room who are struggling with anxiety. You’re staying up all night long trying to watch over your own house. There are so many things to care about and think about and plan for. It’s exhausting. And I get it. You don’t want to be up all night worrying. You wish you weren’t. But the reason you’re staying up and are worrying and fearful is because you think that if you have your own plan for how to handle life’s troubles you’ll be in a better place than if you have no plan and are letting God be the watchman.

In Psalm 4 David is in distress and has concerns about where his help will come from in the future, but he concludes by saying in verse 8, “In peace I will both life down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety” Having a plan won’t save you. We’re too weak to be the watchmen. But the Lord never sleeps. We can have more confidence resting in his hands than our own.

As soon as you admit this, Satan will try to turn your eyes toward all the dangers that surround you and fill you with fear. This leads us to the next pair of verses and their promise.

Point 2 - The LORD will guard you in your circumstances (vs. 5-6)

I’ve lived in Phoenix, Arizona for the past 4 ½ years. To say it is hot there is putting it mildly. The only appropriate way to describe the sun in that desert is “scorching”. If you are hiking, even for a short trip, you must bring water and you must bring a hat. Just about every day it seems there are helicopters flying in to one of the mountains to rescue a stranded hiker who has heat stroke or dehydration. If you are traveling, the sun is a legitimate threat. And so it is for these pilgrims who are walking to Jerusalem singing this psalm.

Verse 6 says “the sun shall not strike you by day nor the moon by night”. Now, I know the sun is a threat, but I’ve not heard of the moon ever attacking anyone before. It appears he’s using the sun and the moon as representatives. They reflect the dangers that are out there during the day and the dangers that are out there during the night. And the confidence the psalmist has is that the LORD, his “keeper” or as we’ve said - his “watchman”, will be his shade. The LORD is a shade, not far away like a distant cloud that may move any minute, but rather a shade that is near, at his right hand, right with him everywhere he goes. He knows that he is protected from his circumstances because he has a shade.

Now, keep in mind this does NOT mean that he won’t experience difficult circumstances. He still has to walk through the valley under the scorching sun that is attempting to beat him down and cause him to faint. But he is protected.

You see, every person is under the same sun and moon. Everyone on the whole earth experiences these same circumstances. We all go through these punishing trials. Everyone in the history of humanity has walked under them. We should not be surprised by them at all. You’re going to get sick. This should not be a surprise. Your car will eventually break down, and at a time that is “not convenient”. You're going to get a water leak in your house that will cost too much money to fix. Your kids are going to make bad decisions that have consequences. You’re going to struggle to have enough money. People near you are going to die. The list goes on and on. These aren’t “possibilities” that maybe if we’re wise enough we can avoid altogether. These are the regular sun and moon that beat down on everyone. And they will happen.

When they arrive, how do you react? Where does your help come from? Do you immediately respond in anger? “God, how could you let this happen? I don’t need this right now.” Do you respond in fear? “I don’t know how I’m going to make it past this.” We’re so prone to responding to our circumstances poorly, that sometimes it’s hard to even imagine what reacting in the right way would be. How do you walk in the shade of him who is at our right hand?

Many of you may recognize the name Elisabeth Elliot. She is well known largely because of what happened to her husband Jim Elliot. Jim is one of the most famous missionaries of the 20th century because in 1956 he and four other men flew a small plane onto the beach of a river in the jungles of Ecuador with the intent to reach a tribe of natives called the Auca Indians. After some initial promising and hospitable contact with them, the Auca changed their minds and speared all five men to death. Now Elisabeth Elliot, who had given her life to Christ and had served as a missionary for years in difficult places, suffering willingly in remote parts of the world, was not rewarded for her great selflessness, but rather she was tragically widowed in the middle of the jungle with a one year old daughter. What would her future hold? How would they now survive? She was being punished by her circumstances, the sun striking her by day and the moon by night. What would a faithful response that trusts in the LORD look like?

In the cloud of her grief, Elisabeth was convinced that her faithfulness to God hung on four words “Do the next thing”. Stop thinking about next year, next month, or even what tragedy and troubles tomorrow will bring. Just do what is the very next thing you should do. So do you know what she did? She did the laundry. Here’s a woman who you could say her life is falling apart, and she’s washing baby clothes. And after that, she made dinner.

When we begin to feel the scorching heat of the sun, I assure you, the worst thing you can do is to stop and look up at it. Staring at the sun and thinking, “Man this is really hot.” And then looking ahead at the miles and miles of path you still have to walk and start thinking “I’ll never make it.” But rather the way forward, the only way forward, is to think “I’m going to take the next step. And after that, I’ll take the next step.” Are there times when God grants you the grace to be able to look far ahead and plan wisely what comes next? Yes! And we should take advantage of those moments, but there are other times when you can only say to yourself, “The Lord is my keeper. The Lord is my shade on my right hand. The sun will not strike me by day, nor the moon by night.” And you take the next step.

Perhaps you think, “How long can this strategy last?” I may make it through this valley, but no doubt a new one is over the horizon. The final verse pair of our psalm tells us this:

Point 3 - The LORD will guard you in your future (vs. 7-8)

Up until now you may have felt like this psalm was just about a trip to Jerusalem, but here the author pulls back and informs us that this is a pattern of protection for our whole life. You'll notice in previous verses it said “the lord is your keeper” “he is your keeper” but this is the first time it uses the future tense. “The Lord will keep”. The protection isn't just about today's troubles it's about all troubles into the future forever. And it's not about walking up to the temple. It's not just about avoiding a sprained ankle and sunburn. It's about surviving evil. The phrase your going out and coming in means the beginning of your day when you start and the end of your day when you rest and everything in between. You can anticipate that you will need God's keeping again in the future and when you do he'll be there.

Now this is one of my favorites. Have you ever seen that meme that says this: “Adulthood is saying ‘But after this week, things will slow down a bit’ over and over until you die.”

And it's true! We're always going through something but something else is right on the other side. As Christians we like to talk about “seasons”. Everything is a season. I'm going through a season where my kids are a hard age. I'm in a season where going to school is exhausting. I'm experiencing a season of loneliness as a single. I'm in a difficult season caring for my aging parents. And it's true! Those are all seasons because none of them are permanent. They will all pass. But I've got good news and bad news. The bad news is that immediately after this season ends a new season with new troubles will arrive. But there's wonderful good news. When that season arrives,  the Lord will keep you from all evil. He will keep your life. And when the next one arrives. The Lord will keep you from all evil. He will keep your life. Until the day that you arrive in his presence and beyond the Lord will keep you from all evil. He will keep your life.

Our goal in each season can’t simply be waiting it out and praying it ends. Though in particularly difficult seasons it’s good to pray for them to end. But we must have a bigger goal. We must have a goal to walk faithfully in that season. We can’t excuse our behavior and say, “I’ll get my act together after this season”. Because what will be different tomorrow? You don’t know what tomorrow will bring. You don’t know that you’ll be more equipped to handle the next season. But here’s what you do know. You won’t have more of God’s presence and protection tomorrow than you have today. Because you have all of it today!

And this isn't simply some cliche coffee mug sentiment. My goal isn’t to give you warm fuzzies. I want you to know God’s promises and have confidence in them. The new testament puts teeth to this and demonstrates this “keeping” through Jesus Christ.

Jesus has called us to a mission, church. He has called us to journey towards his presence. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them… teaching them…” and how does he conclude it? “Behold I am with you always to the end of the age.” The perfect watchman protects us on this mission. You say I’m so weak. I’m so sinful I won’t make it. But Jesus says, I’ve called you to me and if I start something I finish it, Phil 1:6 “And I am sure of this that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.” If Jesus calls you to holiness he also brings you there 1 Thes 5:23-24. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely… He who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it.”

But there are all kinds of circumstances out there that I’m afraid of! Romans 8:35, 37 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?... No! In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

But I’m afraid of what the future may bring! Hebrews 13:5,6 “For he has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Trust in the Lord. Trust in Jesus. Because he will guard you where he sends you.

Prayer