Help from the Mountain Maker

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1,2).

There are few places in God’s creation quite as beautiful as the mountains. Whether snow-covered peaks or tree-covered foothills, a beautiful range of mountains can cause one’s soul to sing.

Why? Perhaps it’s the sheer size that can make even the largest human seem no bigger than an ant. Perhaps it’s the rugged beauty of rocky peaks, pine-scented forests, and rushing rivers, where impressive wildlife, big and small, make their home. Perhaps it’s the permanence of a mountain range, like a giant rock wall that runs for miles though unmoving, as its peaks pierce the sky. Perhaps it’s simply the breathtaking grandeur of God’s creation.

Singing songs of ascents

I wonder if seeing the mountains caused the psalmist’s soul to sing. The ancient city of Jerusalem is set in Israel’s high country. Pilgrims traveling for Passover or another festival had to wind their way up rocky roads to get there. As they made their way into the highlands near Jerusalem, they sang certain “songs of ascents”—psalms of prayer and praise to the Lord. Of all those songs of ascents, Psalm 121 can offer a glimpse into the mind of the psalmist as he traveled. He saw the hills and mountains rise up before him. No doubt, he was impressed by their humbling size, their permanence, their strength, and their breathtaking grandeur.

Yet one question weighed heavily on that believer’s soul as he basked in the glory of the mountains: “Where does my help come from?” The psalmist chose a word for help that is used almost exclusively to describe the help that only one person in all creation can provide—the Mountain Maker. In fact, the psalmist answered his own question: “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Only the Lord of grace who made the heavens, the earth, and the mountains can help.

Looking to the Mountain Maker

Where do you look for help? Your friends? Your family? Your spouse? Work? School? Science? Medicine? Or everyone’s favorite—yourself? Yes, all these things can help in their own way, especially as people live out their God-given callings, but they can help only so much. None of them can provide all the help you need because they fail. They falter. They can’t always come through. They don’t always have all the answers. Despite their best intentions, they can even end up leaving you helpless.

Only the Lord of grace who made the heavens, the earth, and the mountains can help.

In moments like those, you would do well to lift your eyes to the Mountain Maker, the Lord of grace, who lives and loves to help you. He watches over you always, never slumbering, never sleeping. He watches over you to protect you with his love, mindful of everything going on in your life, even the slightest sunburn. He watches over your life and all its comings and goings right now and forevermore.

How is that possible? The One who made the mountains once climbed a mount to give his life so that you might have life. That Mountain Maker made you his beloved new creation, more precious than all the glorious mountains in the world. That Mountain Maker came to help you with his love and keep you in his care.

So, the next time you need help, don’t forget to look to the Mountain Maker who watches over you!

This month, read through the songs of ascents, Psalms 120 to 134, as part of your devotional time.

Author: Jeremiah Gumm
Volume 110, Number 7
Issue: July 2023