Lift Your Eyes: 10 Days of Beholding Christ in Motherhoodਨਮੂਨਾ

Day 2: The Lord Is Your Help

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
—Psalm 121:1

Ancient Israelites had reasons to fear as they traveled from their homes in rural villages to the city of Jerusalem every year for one of three major feasts. Their trek was treacherous and fraught with danger: blistering heat, wild animals, and thieves hiding in the hills. These men and women must have felt acutely vulnerable and helpless.

As a mother, you can probably relate to feeling fragile and afraid at times. Though you may have never physically traveled the rocky path to Jerusalem, you are certainly familiar with the vulnerability the psalmist describes. Our journey as parents is full of steep hills and low valleys, and you may feel exhausted or worried about raising your precious children in an increasingly divided world. These feelings reveal your need for a Helper.

As we dive into a study of Psalm 121 and focus on who God has promised to be for us, we will find that he doesn’t guarantee a smooth path. He offers something far better: his helpful, comforting, protective, sustaining presence. He never leaves us to walk the journey of motherhood alone.

When Peter saw Jesus miraculously walking on the Sea of Galilee, he asked if he could walk on the water too (Matthew 14:22-33). Jesus granted his request and beckoned, “Come,” and Peter climbed over the side of the boat. We can imagine Peter’s eyes fixed on Jesus as he took those first faith-filled steps on the water. But it wasn’t long before Peter’s attention shifted to his situation—he was far from solid ground. When he saw the wind and began to sink, Peter cried out to Jesus, pleading, “Lord, save me” (verse 30).

We know what it feels like to look around at our own circumstances and to sink into a pit of worry, doubt, and despair. The enemy would love nothing more than to keep our eyes fixed on the potential dangers waiting in the “hills” that surround us, trapping us in a pattern of discouragement. But when we lift our eyes to Jesus, we find that he takes us by the hand and helps us. As Scripture says in Matthew 14:31, “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of [Peter],” rescuing him from the wind and the waves that threatened to overtake him. This same God is with you and for you, and there are no hills or waves that can overwhelm the steady hand of help he has given you.