Fearlessness in the Face of Uncertainty

Fearlessness in the Face of Uncertainty
Today’s Reading: Psalm 120-125
“Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

To whom do we turn when faced with all the uncertainty in life? For some, they look to their political party. One reason people are so passionate about politics today is that they believe that with the right leaders in office, we can find answers to the problems confronting our world. Others rely on the collective wisdom of humanity, believing that shared knowledge can help find solutions to today’s challenges. Still, others turn to themselves, trusting that we can resolve our own problems and shape our own destiny. However, wherever we seek answers, we often find more questions than solutions and more fear than security. So, where can we find hope and security in the struggles we encounter?

The question is not new, as it has troubled humanity from the beginning. This world is full of danger and threats, so where can we find help and protection? In the Psalms of today’s reading, the Psalmist wrestles with the same question. Psalms 120-134 are called Songs of Ascent. These are Psalms that people were to sing together as they made their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the three great festivals (Deut. 16:16). They were meant to remind the nation of the source of their identity and hope as the people of God. In Psalm 120, he cries out for deliverance because he is surrounded by those bent on violence rather than peace. In Psalm 124, David reminds the people of the devastating result of not trusting in God. When we look to any source other than God for security in life, we will be quickly overwhelmed by the raging waters of adversity (3-5). Instead of trusting in man, David reminds us that there is only one source of help and only one deliverer who is powerful enough to protect us from all the struggles and threats we face in life. That one source of help is “the LORD,” the God of Israel. But He is more than just the God who promises to protect His people; He is the one who made heaven and earth. He possesses infinite power and wisdom, which was on full display when He created the vastness of space with merely the power of His spoken word.

Because He is the one who brings deliverance, we are to turn our eyes to Him in times of trouble instead of relying on our own wisdom or that of any other source. Jerusalem and the Temple sit atop the mountain range that runs through the heart of Israel. No matter what direction you come from, your journey to Jerusalem is an ascent to the mountain top where the Temple was built. In verse 1, we see the writer as he marches up the hill to the temple mount, reminded that it is there, in the Temple—the dwelling place of God—that our help comes from. Because his help comes from the Creator of the heavens and the earth, he has absolute confidence in God’s protective hand. Psalm 122:1 is not just a promise of God’s protection for the Messianic king; it is also a promise to all of God's people. When faced with the trials of life, there is only one place we can look—and that is to the One who created all things and has sovereign control over the universe. His attentive care is unending, undistracted, and unburdened. Our hope is in His unending watch over us; there is not a moment in our lives that He is not watching over us (vs 6), no evil that threatens His protective hand (vs 7), and no activity outside His control. His care is unencumbered and eternal.  
The hope of the Psalmist is the same hope we have today. No matter how overwhelming our problems and struggles may seem to us, they are nothing compared to the infinite power and sovereign control of the Creator of the universe. Fear and anxiety overwhelm us when we are looking in the wrong place for security. No matter how great our challenge, when we look at it through the lens of the one who created the universe with merely a word, then there is no longer anything to fear.