Most every morning, I walk up the mountain that is somewhat beside my house. I walk up the main road about 30 yards and then I turn into a development of several houses. This road basically climbs its way about a mile up a mountain, with eight or ten houses on both sides of the street, until you get to the top. I take Dixie, the wonder-dog, our 12-year-old Basset hound. She enjoys it, and I enjoy the company. I take my prayer list with me, but I can only pray as I walk back down. I’m too winded to pray as I walk up!
As I get to the top and the street forms a cul-de-sac, I turn around to walk back down. As I do, I get a beautiful view of the southern edge of the Appalachians, as they run southwest to northeast. God sprawls those mountains out in front of me each morning, and I get to enjoy the vista (as I start to catch my breath!), and every morning its beauty startles me. When I get to the top and view those mountains, I think of Psalm 121. “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.”
I have taken that walk most every morning for the past six years, and I have gotten into the habit of repeating Psalm 121 as a prayer as I view those mountains. When I first did this, I only remembered the first two verses. Then I finally had enough presence of mind to actually look up the psalm and read the rest of it. Here are the next two verses. “He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”
After repeating these four verses morning after morning, I finally noticed something just yesterday. The ever-watchfulness of God should tell us of his commitment to help us. Where do I get that? My help does not come from the hills, or from any created thing, but from the Maker of these hills, the Maker of all things, the Maker of heaven and earth. And then the psalm-writer says that the one who helps us never sleeps and never slumbers.
Now, this certainly tells us of God’s power; he never needs rest. He never needs to recuperate or rejuvenate. He doesn’t need to sleep to regain his strength. But it also tells us of God’s ever-watchfulness. God never closes his eyes. He sees all that goes on, to everyone, by everyone, at all times. God doesn’t miss anything. He sees all things. He is constantly aware. You see, when the psalmist assures himself that his help does not come from the hills, but that it comes instead from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth, his next thought is that this same Maker of heaven and earth never closes his eyes, but is always aware of all that takes place. “He who keeps you (helps you, protects you, provides for you) will not slumber.” Your help comes from the one who never closes his eyes. And because he never closes his eyes, because he is ever-watchful, he will help you in every situation.
You see, God doesn’t watch us, like a Peeping Tom, an eavesdropper. Rather, he watches over us. He doesn’t simply observe; he gets involved. He provides for us, protects us, takes care of us. He doesn’t simply see us, with our car on the side of the road and the hood up. He sees us, and then he stops and helps. For God to see is for him to act. And because he sees all things, God is always active.
Maybe the point is this. We have the promise of God’s constant help, because we have the assurance of God’s constant awareness of our lives and our situations. If you know the story of Sarah and Hagar (Genesis 16), Hagar, Sarah’s servant girl, runs away because Sarah was treating her harshly. (There’s a lot more to the story; you should read it.) But God meets her in the wilderness and blesses her. Then Hagar (an Egyptian, an outsider to the things of God) calls God, El Roi, the God who Sees. “Truly I have seen him who looks after me (v. 13).” Hagar knew by experience that the one who sees us, looks after us. The one who never closes his eyes, who knows the depths and details of our situation, helps us, provides for us, keeps us. And he helps us, because when he sees us, he can’t help but get involved, and provide and protect. He doesn’t just look; he looks after. He doesn’t just watch; he watches over.