Daily Devotional

-September 11, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Looking Up To The Lord For His Help-

“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

(Psalm 121:1-2).

Psalm 121 is one of the psalms of ascents, and was written by an unknown author. The heading in my Bible is, “God the Help of Those Who Seek Him.” How few in our country look to God for His help on a daily basis. Most try to make it on their own. Sometimes they think about God but only in times of great tragedy, sorrow, loss, or need. God gets blamed when things go wrong, but gets no credit when things go well.

Today is the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. Our country was struck by terrorists flying planes into the World Trade Center in New York City and at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Were it not for the courage and bravery of the passengers aboard the ill-fated Flight 93, a third plane would have struck the White House. We commentate and remember the lives of 2,977 of our fellow Americans who died on September 11, 2001. We then fought a war in Afghanistan for twenty years, and just recently pulled all our armed forces out of that country.

As we reflect on that horrific day in the history of our country, we remember where we were and what we were doing. We tuned in by television and saw the graphic images, the heroic acts of police officers, firefighters, and other first responders who died attempting to save others. One thing that came from this dark day was that brought our nation closer together. Suddenly, our differences and distinctions didn’t mean much, we were all Americans. On that first Sunday after 9/11, churches filled up as never before. People were scared and turned to God; unfortunately it didn’t last.

For those of us who are saved we continued to look up to the Lord for His help and still today, we look up to Him. We are finite creatures, we have many limitations, and are subject to many fears. We ask, could another attack happen in our lifetimes? We are vulnerable in so many ways. With that said, let us thank God for His help in the past and look up to Him for His help in the future.

Psalm 46:10 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” These words of promise, comfort, and encouragement are needed today more than ever. Here in our text, the psalmist wrote, “My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.” God and God alone is the source of our help!

In this rich and beautiful psalm, the psalmist mentions the things God promises to do for us: He will not allow our foot to slip, keeps us, is our shade to protect us, and preserves us from all evil, and preserves our going out and our coming in. Psalm 121 is a psalm of promises.

There are lessons to learn from the past to help us in the future. It is a somber day, a day of remembrance and reflection. As believers we feel the pain and mourn the loss, and most of all trust the Lord and seek His help in everything. Let us look up to God our help. The great hymn writer Issac Watts said it well, “O God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.”

Have a blessed day of remembrance and look up to God who helps us day by day. Stay safe and healthy.

In His grace,

Dean