Protection for the Journey – Psalm 121

A text – Psalm 121

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
⁸ The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.

A reflection:

Do you know people who are traveling these days? Do you worry about them when they are on the road? Imagine the folks in ancient days who made a pilgrimage three times a year to the holy city of Jerusalem for the festivals. Mostly men made these journeys, leaving the women and children at home. But women and children were not prohibited from going.

One reason it was mostly men on these journeys was that the trip could be quite dangerous. Weather, lack of water, lack of shelter from the hot sun or wind, the ever-present possibility of bandits (perhaps taking advantage of the many travelers during those festival times), all of these things made travel on foot daunting. These were walking pilgrims, after all, who were trying desperately not to let their feet be injured as they crossed mountains and plains. Verse 3’s “He will not let your foot be moved” I’m told translates rather into “He will not let your foot tremble or be shaky,” implying protection from tripping or mis-stepping as one walked over rugged ground. This whole psalm comes to us as a pilgrimage psalm for the overall protection of travelers.

The next time you set out on a road trip or one of your beloved people sets out on one, remind yourself of the love and protection that God’s beloved travelers have had since ancient days. Say this psalm aloud each day that your traveler is on the road. Remind yourself and the Lord that God has promised not to let the traveler stumble, not to let the traveler be struck by sun nor moon, not to slumber nor sleep while the journey is happening. I know saying this psalm as a traveling blessing for those I love will comfort me as my dear ones take a journey.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for being with us as we travel and take risks. Help us to remember to pray and place our loved ones and ourselves in your hands as we go forth, and that you are with us no matter what, and no matter where.  Amen.