587-I Will Lift My Eyes to the Mountains#
(JP Text Group - shalom organized)
Peace be with you, dear family, and welcome to your arrival. Today is Sunday, and we will look at God's words together.
The topic of sharing is: I Will Lift My Eyes to the Mountains
Psalm 121:1-8:
1 I will lift my eyes to the mountains; where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip; he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Let us pray first
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you for granting us the beginning of a new week. We commit this time into the hands of the Holy Spirit, asking that through these words you grant us faith and strength, enabling us to learn to look up to you in all things. For you are our God, our Lord, our provider and helper; wherever we call upon you, you will surely listen to our prayers. Renew our thoughts and minds through the sharing of your words, and help us learn to rely on you in everything. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
What does it mean to lift my eyes to the mountains? The temple in Jerusalem is God's dwelling place on earth, symbolizing God's presence with His people. The city of Jerusalem is situated on a mountain and surrounded by many mountains, so when a Jew is in other parts of Israel and needs God's help, he will lift his eyes to the mountains, which is the same as looking up to God. Since the Creator dwells among the mountains of Jerusalem, the Israelites use this song to express their longing for God, which can also be said to mean that all help comes from God.
In Daniel 6:10, it mentions something:
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
At that time, Darius was king, and the Israelites had become captives. Daniel was one of them. At that time, the king issued a decree that for one month, no one could pray to any god or human except the king, or they would be thrown into the lion's den. Once the decree was issued, it could not be changed.
After this decree was published, Daniel surely knew about it. He went home, opened his upstairs windows toward Jerusalem, and three times a day knelt down to pray to God and give thanks, just as he had always done.
Daniel's action was to lift his eyes to the mountains. He knew that his freedom was restricted, but his prayer was not restricted. They prayed toward Jerusalem, which was a common practice among many Israelites. Daniel was lifting his eyes to the mountains, and in fact, he was looking up to God. When he looked up to God, he knew that his help came from God, and God would listen to their prayers.
In verses 1-2 of this passage: I will lift my eyes to the mountains; where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
I will lift my eyes to the mountains; where does my help come from? It does not mean that the poet does not know the answer; he knows it. The latter part says: My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
How great is the power of this God that the poet knows? This God is the Creator of heaven and earth, and the Creator is willing to help him. What does a person need to do? Call upon God and look up to Him. Is this Creator of heaven and earth not our Lord? Yes, He is. So when you encounter anything, if you know this God, the Lord you believe in, who is the Creator of heaven and earth and is willing to help you, just call upon Him and look up to Him. In the past, the Israelites had to go to the Jerusalem temple to worship God three times a year, and whenever they walked toward the temple mountain to worship, they would generally sing this song, acknowledging that God is their help.
Psalm 28:6-7:
6 Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. 7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and I will give thanks to him in song.
You see, there are many verses in the Psalms where they praise God, which actually come from their heartfelt longing for God. Psalm 28 mentions that the Lord is to be praised; why? Because he has heard my cry for mercy.
The Lord we believe in is a God who hears prayers. If we encounter anything and call upon Him, He is willing to help us. The Israelites experienced many helps from God, so the poet says: The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
When you encounter things on earth and seek help from others, people may not always be willing to help you, nor can they always help you. But when you seek our Lord, He will give you strength; He will be your shield. If you think of relying on Him in everything, you will receive help. Whenever the poet thinks of having such a Lord to rely on, their hearts become joyful.
Therefore, all of us who believe in the Lord have hope on earth. No matter what happens, we can have a provider, a helper, which is completely different from the world. Every time you think of our Lord, your heart will be filled with joy because He always brings supply, brings strength, and is always the shield for people. Thank the Lord.
Psalm 33:16-21:
16 No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. 17 The horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength, it cannot save. 18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
This passage contrasts earthly people with God. It mentions that no king is saved by the size of his army. What do earthly kings rely on? They rely on the many soldiers under them, thinking that the more soldiers they have, the more likely they are to win.
No warrior escapes by his great strength. A warrior relies on his strength, which is much greater than others; relying on horses for deliverance is futile; horses cannot save people despite their great strength.
The strength of horses is very great, but if people focus on horses, it says relying on horses for deliverance is futile. So what should we rely on? You say we cannot rely on people when we encounter problems; we should look up to our God.
Verse 18 says: The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.
As children of God, we are not just here to enter the kingdom of heaven; that is too simple. The moment you believe in Jesus, you are already a person of the kingdom. But we still live on this earth, where we will encounter some problems, difficulties, and times of weakness. What should we do? We should lift our eyes to the mountains.
Lifting our eyes to the mountains means looking up to our God. Why? Because our God, the Lord, watches over those who fear him. If you honor the Lord in your heart and are willing to worship Him, God will watch over you.
What do you look up to in His love? You know, in the hearts of some believers, they think God is very frightening, always angry, always bringing down disasters. Such people will not look up to God; they will stay away from Him.
But here God shows us what kind of God He is: The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him and on those who hope in his unfailing love. You must know that our God is full of grace and love; when you look up to Him, He will grant you His grace.
Verse 19 says: to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
This is the work of our God; we must believe correctly. Our God does not bring death; He wants to save us from death. So when you encounter great difficulties in your life, which is like facing death, call upon God, and He can save you from death.
For example, Peter, when he saw Jesus walking on the water, wanted to walk on the water too. Jesus said, "Come." Peter took two steps but suddenly felt that he could not do such a thing and began to sink. At that moment, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saving him. This is what it means to save their lives from death. Jesus can save Peter, and He can save you today. So what should you do when you encounter problems? Just look up to Him.
The latter part says: and keep them alive in famine. It is not easy to survive in famine because there is no supply and no way out. But God says He can keep you alive in famine.
Where is your famine? Some people have economic problems, some have health issues, and some have weaknesses in their hearts. But no matter what, when you are in famine, God says He can keep you alive. When it seems like a path of death, when it seems there is no way out, your God is your way out, Amen.
Our hearts always wait for the Lord. You see how the poet says: "When we encounter problems, we must wait for our God. Our hearts always look up to our Lord because He is our help and our shield." Whenever the poet thinks that God is their help and shield, their hearts become joyful.
Why do so many people in the world always complain and feel weak? Because they see no way out, no hope; but we are different; we always have hope and a way out because our God is our help. Jesus Christ has risen from the dead and returned to the right hand of the Father. The Holy Spirit now dwells within you, guiding you to continually experience God's power on earth. So when you call upon our Father, the Holy Spirit will help you, and our Jesus Christ is the guarantee that your prayers will be answered.
When you think of these things, doesn't your heart also feel joy? The more people walk, the more they may feel there is no way to go; but we are different; our path becomes wider because we always rely on His holy name. Today's psalm is a song of ascents, which is the song the Israelites sang to God as they walked toward the temple. You can imagine that Jerusalem is a temple built on a high mountain, where God's presence is.
As the people walk up from the foot of the mountain, the path is not easy, but they look up and see the temple in Jerusalem, knowing that no matter how great the difficulties they encounter, as long as they call upon God, they will receive help. This is what it means to look up. You say, don't they get tired while walking? They do get tired, but what path are they walking? They are walking toward God. They know that no matter what happens, as long as they call upon God, they will receive supply and help. This is called looking up to God; just lift your head and see, Amen.
We do not need to go to the temple mountain in Israel to seek this God; God is no longer there. He is omnipresent and omnipotent; as long as you can think of the grace of our Jesus Christ, God can grant you what you need. This is also called looking up to God; anyone who looks up to God will see His supply and help.
Verses 3-5: 3 He will not let your foot slip; he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
When the Israelites walk toward the mountaintop, the rugged mountain path can easily cause someone to slip and fall down the mountain, as there is almost no flat road going up the mountain, and the dangers are many. But the most important thing when climbing a mountain is to keep your steps steady. When the Israelites call upon God, God first ensures that their feet do not slip.
When do our feet slip? When we encounter great difficulties that make it hard for us to stand; when we face great weaknesses, people cannot stand; when we encounter great environments, people cannot move forward. These are all instances of slipping feet. Whenever such things happen, we must rely on God, Amen. No matter how terrible the environment is, you should look up to God; He can keep your feet from slipping.
Habakkuk 3:17-19:
17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to tread on the heights.
You see, Habakkuk gives us this message. The situation at the beginning is terrible: the fig tree does not bud, the grapevines bear no fruit, the olive crop fails, the fields produce no food, there are no sheep in the pen, and no cattle in the stalls. Everything is in a terrible state, but he can still rejoice because he has this God.
You say, if an ordinary person encounters such a situation, would they not have the strength to move forward? They probably cannot even stand because the environment is too terrible. But Habakkuk says: I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be joyful in God my Savior.
He can still rejoice in such circumstances; why? Because he knows that as long as God is there, everything else will be restored. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; God can give him strength, and God is his strength, enabling my feet to be like the feet of a deer, allowing me to tread on the heights.
You must know that the feet of a deer are very fast; they run quickly and can also tread steadily on heights. This is what we need to understand. The strength that God gives us not only allows us to run fast but also enables us to walk steadily, to tread on heights. How many people in the world rely on their own strength to climb high and then fall down? If you climb high, you will fall hard; but God is different. When you rely on Him, He can make you tread steadily on heights.
If you are in a company and God lifts you up, no one can pull you down. Even if the enemy has schemes, if you rely on God in everything, you will always be able to see through the schemes and tread steadily on heights. This is what it means that God will not let your feet slip; you will stand very firmly, Amen. Whatever you do will always be stable.
In our lives, no matter what we do, whether working or doing business, we need stability, right? Our feet must stand firm and not keep slipping. How can we ensure that our feet tread steadily on heights? By relying on God in everything. If we see that the economic environment around us is not good, and people are facing various problems, do you feel worried? If you worry, call upon God; He will not let your feet slip. He can provide for you, give you strength, and grant you wisdom to solve the current difficulties, and your feet will naturally not slip. Amen.
He who watches over you will not slumber! He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Why do the Israelites have such great hope, always looking toward Jerusalem? Because they know that the Lord who is in Jerusalem is their protection, so they do not worry, and what God wants them to do is to look up to Him in everything. When Solomon first built the temple, he prayed to God in this way.
1 Kings 8:29-30:
29 May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, "My Name shall be there," so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place. 30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.
This was Solomon's prayer to God after the temple was built. He called upon God to watch over the temple day and night. Indeed, our God, because He is spirit, does not sleep; He does not slumber. Some people do not understand this attribute of God. When they encounter difficulties, they think God has closed His eyes and is not watching them, that God is asleep. They pray, "Lord, please wake up and see me; look how pitiful I am. Lord, please open your eyes and see me." As if God were asleep and could not be awakened. That is not the case.
God is spirit; He does not sleep. After Jesus Christ rose from the dead, He also became spirit and no longer needs to sleep. You know that we have this weakness on earth; what weakness? We need to eat and sleep; otherwise, our bodies cannot hold up. How long can a person go without sleep? How many days can they go without eating? There is no way because after Adam fell, this flesh has these needs, so people must keep eating and resting to let their bodies sleep. You must do these things.
But after Jesus Christ rose from the dead, eating and sleeping became options for Him. We do not have options; we must sleep and eat. But you see, after Jesus died and rose again, eating became an option for Him; He could eat or not eat, and if He did not eat, He would not starve. Similarly, He could sleep or not sleep, depending on His own choice.
Therefore, when we call upon God, at any time and in any place, He can hear us. Do not think that God has clocked out or is asleep; that does not exist, Amen. The Israelites knew this, so they could call upon God at any time.
He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. This shows that God is not weak; He watches over people at all times. If as children of God, you can rely on Him in everything, no matter what time or place, He can hear you and answer you, Amen. But if you rely on people, people are weak. Even those who are very prosperous will have weaknesses.
Let us look at a passage, Matthew 26:40-43:
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." 42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." 43 When he came back, he found them sleeping again, because their eyes were heavy.
This was Jesus in a very difficult moment, hoping that the disciples could pray with Him, but the disciples, due to the weakness of the flesh, could not pray with Jesus. You must know that in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was about to go to the cross, and He did not want to be separated from the Father, so He prayed to the Father, hoping that the Father would hear His prayer and answer it.
He was extremely weak inside because He was willing to bear the sins of the world, but He did not want to be separated from the Father. But these two things are contradictory because when Jesus bore the sins of the world, He was filled with sin, and God cannot be with sin.
But Jesus did not want to leave the Father, which made Him very sad and weak at that moment. He hoped the disciples could pray with Him. In fact, He did not expect the disciples to do anything; just being there with Him would have been enough.
We know that when people are weak or sad, it is often not about needing to hear comforting words; just being there beside them is already a great comfort. So everyone must have a correct understanding of prayer; prayer is not about the power of numbers; it is not measured that way.
Jesus knew the Father’s will, so at this moment, He was just weak in the flesh. He wanted the disciples to pray with Him, and that was all. But when Jesus came to the disciples and saw them sleeping, He woke Peter and said, "Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?" In fact, Jesus did not ask for much; at that moment, He was feeling sad, and it would have been enough if they could pray with Him! But at that moment, the disciples could not do it.
Jesus said, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." At the same time, He pointed out their weakness; their spirits were willing, but their flesh was weak. Many times, we are willing to draw near to God in our spirits, but our flesh is weak. We have many burdens, worries, and anxieties. These worries and anxieties prevent people from drawing near to God. This is the weakness of man.
What should we do? If you can firmly rely on God to overcome the weakness of the flesh, you will receive strength from God. Jesus did not force the disciples to stay awake and pray with Him; He simply hoped that the disciples could sincerely join Him in this matter. The second time, Jesus went away to pray again, and when He returned, He found them sleeping again because their eyes were heavy. This is human nature. You cannot say that Peter and the other disciples did not love Jesus or did not want to pray with Him; they wanted to, but their flesh was weak. This is the deficiency of man.
If you encounter problems and seek help from others, many times, such situations will arise. It is not that people do not want to help you; perhaps they are also facing difficulties and weaknesses, so how can they help you? How did Jesus ultimately overcome? He continually prayed before God and ultimately overcame. We must learn this; no matter what we encounter in life, we must look up to our God and lift our eyes to Him. Do not put all your focus on people; this will disappoint you. If you set your gaze on God, He will never let you be ashamed because the Bible promises us: those who look up to our Lord will never be put to shame. Amen.
Verse 5 says: The Lord watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The first thing mentioned is that God is our protection. So, dear family, as this world becomes darker and more chaotic, know that the only one who can truly protect you is our God. There are so many bad people and so many scammers in the world; if we always try to learn various ways to avoid scams, we will never finish learning. But if you have wisdom from God and rely on Him in everything, praying in everything, God will be your protection. He can give you correct guidance from within, allowing you to walk the right path.
The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The term "shade" is something we often use in China, usually referring to the care of elders for juniors or the blessing of ancestors for their descendants. It is typically used to describe a relationship of protection and shelter. "Shade" refers to the shadow of trees, while "shelter" means protection. Therefore, the term "shade and shelter" vividly depicts the scene where elders or ancestors provide protection and supply for their descendants like a big tree.
The one who can truly bring us protection and shelter is our God, and here it mentions that the Lord is your shade at your right hand. In the Bible, the right hand often refers to a place of victory, honor, and glory. This means that our God has already won; He has received glory, and as a victor, He provides protection and strength beside you, which is different from the world.
People in the world may have strengths in this area, but if you ask them for help, they may not be able to help you with other matters. But our God can provide protection and strength in everything because Jesus Christ has already won in all things. This is God's promise to us. In life, we can pray to God; no matter what happens, He can become your protection and your strength. Hallelujah.
Psalm 17:6-9:
6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. 7 Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. 8 Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings 9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.
You see, this passage is actually a prayer from the poet to God. It mentions: I call on you, my God, for you will answer me. So, dear family, when we pray to God, we must have the assurance that God will surely listen to our prayers. Because this is God's promise to us. In the past, many believers did not have this assurance, so how can you have faith when you pray to God?
So, dear family, because of the redemption that Jesus accomplished for us on the cross, our God will surely listen to our prayers; this is a fact we must be assured of. No matter whether your prayer is correct or not, God will definitely listen. Moreover, if your prayer is within God's promises, God will surely answer you. Why do I say this? If you pray for God to strike someone dead with lightning, God does not have such a promise, so He will not listen or answer, but He may use other ways to help you understand His will.
If you pray for something that is within God's promises, for example, you want to bless someone, and you do not have the strength, you can pray for God to bless them. Or if someone is sick, you can pray for God to heal them. Thank the Lord. This means we must believe that God first hears our cries and is willing to answer our prayers. Once you have this assurance, you will naturally have faith when you pray to God, Amen, and you will be willing to call upon Him.
The poet says: Turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. Because at that time, people were still under the Old Testament law, and they did not know whether their actions were pleasing to God, so he said, "Turn your ear to me."
But we do not need to do that anymore because all our prayers are answered through Jesus. Do not say, "Lord, please turn your ear to me." Because God, because of Jesus, will turn His ear to listen to your prayers. So let us remove all the "please" from this passage; why? Because because of Jesus, God is already willing to treat us this way.
The poet says: Show me the wonders of your great love. Today we can say: "Lord, you have already shown your great love; you are the one who saves by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes." You can be very certain that God will save us with His victorious hand because we have taken refuge in Him.
So there is only one condition: are you willing to take refuge in our God? Because our God will not force you to make a decision. Even if God has various blessings, He cannot forcibly impose them on you; unless you take refuge in Him, call upon Him, He will grant you these blessings. This is why we always emphasize that you must pray to God in everything because when you ask, God will give you; if you do not ask, God cannot impose it on you because He respects your choice, Amen. This is something everyone must be sure of.
Many erroneous teachings believe that since Jesus accomplished everything on the cross, we do not need to pray, and God will give us everything. You will find that people who believe this will not receive any blessings from God; this statement itself has no biblical basis. Many people always say, "God knows everything, so why should I pray? I do not need to pray." This statement is incorrect. The Bible tells us to call upon God in everything and pray; God hopes we will look up to Him. Because this is our voluntary call upon God, it is a relationship, dear family.
He is our Lord, who loves me, that is true, but when we call upon Him, we can feel God's love. If a person always thinks, "I can do everything," and does not rely on God, when he fails and becomes weak, he will realize his weakness when he turns back. If we do not need to ask, God will give us, then people will definitely become proud because they will feel that everything comes naturally and ultimately believe it is their own ability. This is why we need to call upon God in everything. The same saying: whoever asks, God will grant grace to him. No matter what you encounter, even if you are attacked by enemies, you pray to God to save you from trouble; as long as you call upon God, He will open a way for you. Amen.
Verse 8 says: Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.
We can say: "Lord, you will protect me, save me from such troubles, just as you protect the apple of your eye." This is our call to God, asking Him to hide us in the shadow of His wings! Especially in this last generation, we need wisdom. Do not show yourself; remember, dear family, do not show yourself in any aspect; that is, we often say, in this place, we must act low-key. If you are high-profile, you will definitely run into problems.
Many people build churches just to emphasize, "I want to be big! I want to be famous!" Ultimately, they run into problems. Can we not be low-key? Is it not good to be humble? God hides us under His wings, which also makes us realize that without Him, we cannot do anything.
We must be under God's protection and shelter to accomplish things; what do we have to be proud of? Why must we seek fame? If God wants to lift you up to do greater things, He does not need you to strive to climb up; when the time comes, God will naturally grant it to you.
Just like Moses, he never thought of making a name for himself, but God lifted him up, Amen; Joshua too, he never thought of being great among the Israelites, but God lifted him up. Thank the Lord. So we must have wisdom in this regard. Do not always show how capable you are in front of others, always trying to show yourself; this is not a good thing in our environment; you must remember.
Verse 9: from the wicked who are out to destroy me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.
You see, David never thought of making a name for himself, but after he defeated Goliath, he became famous, and at that time, he became a thorn in the eyes of many. Later, his enemies always pursued him. At this moment, David was not thinking of becoming a king or being the greatest; he prayed, "Lord, hide me in the shadow of your wings; save me from the wicked who oppress me." Even when David encountered many who wanted to take his life, he entrusted these people to God, thank the Lord. This is what we need to learn. Thank and praise the Lord.
Verses 6-7: 6 The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life.
After the Israelites left Egypt, their life in the wilderness clearly showed God's supply and protection.
Exodus 13:20-22:
20 After leaving Sukkoth, they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
In the wilderness, there was nothing; there was no supply, no food. The people could not survive in the wilderness on their own. The daytime temperature could reach over 46 degrees Celsius, which is extremely hot; at night, it becomes very cold. In such circumstances, without God's supply and protection, they would have died in the wilderness. But you see God's supply here? During the day, God used the pillar of cloud to lead them, so the sun did not harm them; it would not scorch them to death. This is the protection that the sun will not harm you by day.
At night, there was a pillar of fire because the nights in the wilderness were very cold, and they needed warmth, so God used the pillar of fire to provide for and protect them. Thank the Lord. How great is God's supply? It never left the people.
What does it mean that the moon will not harm you by night? In tropical regions, during a full moon, its light can be harmful to people, which the Israelites knew at that time; the moon could sometimes cause people to go insane, faint, or become mad. Of course, some scientific studies have also found that the moon affects the human body, particularly the levels of steroids and melatonin, thus impacting the immune system and physiological cycles. Especially for women, the full moon can affect their endocrine system, which in turn affects their menstrual cycles.
Moreover, changes in the moon can also affect people's sleep, especially on full moon nights. The most important thing is that changes in the moon can impact people's mental states; moonlight can lead some people to experience manic emotions, especially on full moon nights. If we do not study carefully, we might wonder how the moon could harm people. God's words are not baseless; when we read, meditate, and examine them carefully, we will see God's supply and protection, Amen.
Psalm 91:3-7:
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
Psalm 91 is also known as the Psalm of Protection, which is a great comfort to us as children of God. While we are on earth, God uses His feathers to cover us; as long as we are willing to take refuge under His wings, He will be our shield. When Jesus came to earth to find the Israelites, it was to cover them and protect them with His wings, but they were unwilling. Just like chicks are safe under the wings of their mother hen, but some of them are disobedient and want to run out, they will encounter danger.
Through such scriptures, we see that as long as we are willing to take refuge under His wings, He will be our protection and our shield. No matter whether it is night or day, no disaster will come upon us. Even if a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, this disaster will not come near you; it is because God has covered you with His feathers. All we need to do is take refuge in Him. How do we take refuge? It is what we have been emphasizing: you must lift your eyes to the mountains! Pray to Him in everything, call upon Him, and let His words be the standard for your life, so He can protect us from all harm. Amen.
Verse 8: The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
When we come and go, we hope for peace. God also gives us this promise: The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. This is God's intention.
In this world, there are no random events, no accidental events, no purposeless accidents, and certainly no fatalism. Illness, suffering, and death do not come from God. Although after Adam fell, this world also fell under a curse, and indeed many problems will arise. But if you rely on God, He can help you overcome all of this and fulfill His good will in your life.
Jeremiah 29:10-13:
10 This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Here, God, through Jeremiah, brings hope to the Israelites, saying: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you." Why must they wait until the seventy years are completed? This is actually the covenant God made with the Israelites before they entered Canaan.
Initially, God made a covenant with them, saying, "You shall work the land for six years, and in the seventh year, let the land rest for a year. I will give you three times the harvest, so you will have no worries." However, the Israelites did not do this, so they triggered God's regulations and fell under a curse. Later, they were taken captive by Babylon, and the land rested for seventy years. This is God's justice.
Whether believers or non-believers, if they trigger God's curse system, meaning they violate God's words, bad things will happen. This is why we repeatedly emphasize that everyone should rely on God and take refuge in Him because if you take refuge in His words, you will surely be blessed; violating God's words will lead to bad things. God has established these rules.
So the Israelites had already entered this punishment, and they had to wait until seventy years were completed for God's fairness and justice to be fulfilled. At that time, God would come to them and fulfill His good promise to them, allowing them to return to their original dwelling place. What is God's intention? It is to hope they receive peace. God does not want to bring disaster, but you must know that when people violate God's words, disaster will come. But you should see one thing: when these things happen, if you turn back in time, you will have hope.
So if you frequently encounter various failures and problems in your life, perhaps you are too far from God's words; you need to reassess whether what you believe is correct. Do not believe wrongly or follow the wrong people; you should only follow the truth. When you call upon our God in everything and pray to our God, He will answer you. If you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him, and you will experience the peace that God grants. Thank and praise the Lord.
I encourage every brother and sister to look up to Him in everything, to lift your eyes to the mountains; you can see this high mountain anywhere. Because you know God is there, as long as you call upon Him, He will answer you. Thank the Lord; may today's words bring you some help.
Let us pray together
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for giving us such words. The Israelites could see the temple in Jerusalem from any location because that is where God dwells. As long as we look up, we will see God's supply because you are always there, and your help is always present. You also protect us, keeping our feet from slipping; we are willing to follow you and look up to you in everything. Thank and praise the Lord. We believe that the path you have prepared for us is the most blessed path, and your words are the standard in our lives. We are willing to follow you, not to follow anyone else. You will protect our lives, and wherever we go, we believe the Holy Spirit is with us, reminding us to do the right things.
A new week has begun, and we believe this week is a week of blessings from you. We are willing to lift our eyes to you in everything, and we are willing to experience the power of your words in our lives. Please hide us under the shadow of your wings; we are willing to follow you. All glory be to our Father in heaven. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.