It's easier to go down than up, and never underestimate the difficulty of the climb
Psalm chapter 120 is the first of 15 chapters called "the psalms of ascent".
The Songs of Ascent are a special group of psalms comprising Psalms 120—134. They are also called Pilgrim Songs. Four of these songs are attributed to King David (122, 124, 131, 133) and one to Solomon (127), while the remaining ten are anonymous.
The city of Jerusalem is situated on a high hill. Jews traveling to Jerusalem for one of the three main annual Jewish festivals traditionally sang these songs on the “ascent” or the uphill road to the city.
According to some traditions, the Jewish priests also sang some of these Songs of Ascent as they walked up the steps to the temple in Jerusalem.
The ascent to the hills of Moriah and Mt. Zion, or Jerusalem was a steady climb upward for these Jewish pilgrims.
Psalm 120:1 the singer sang, "in my distress I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me."
I believe the beginning of the Psalms of ascent was spoken by a man with a desire to be in the presence of the Lord.
He had decided that he had stayed too long in the wrong place.
Now it was time for him to embark on the journey back to God.
All around him were those who hated peace and wanted nothing more but war and discord.
Although not for certain, it is believed David wrote this particular song.
And he says in verse 5, "Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in tents of Kedar.
Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!
Mesech was a son of Japheth; and the name here signifies his descendants, the Mosques, who occupied that wild mountain region which lies between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.
Kedar, again, was a son of Ishmael; and the name here signifies his descendants, the wandering tribes, whose "hand is against every man, and every man's hand against them."
There is no geographical connection between those two nations: the former being upon the north of Palestine, and the latter upon the south.
The connection is a moral one. They are mentioned together, because they were fierce and warlike barbarians.
If the writer here is David, he had never lived on the shores of the Caspian Sea, or in the Arabian wilderness;
and he means no more than this, that the persons with whom he now dwelt were as savage and quarrelsome as Mesech and Kedar.
The writer in essence says, I am just as miserable among these haters of peace, as if I had taken up my abode with those savage and treacherous tribes of Mesech and Kedar.
So chapter 120 begins with a cry of distress unto the Lord.
Living in the valley of despair and distress he longs for the presence of God.
In the beginning of chapter 121, the pilgrims begin their journey to Jerusalem.
"I will lift up mine eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help."
He was not indicating that the hills or mountains could help him.
But he is he was looking upward to the hills of Moriah and Mt. Zion, Jerusalem where the ark of God was, the symbol of God's presence.
He was weary of the valley and longed for the hills!
Listen church, our help comes from above. We can lift up our eyes with hope, expectancy, desire and confidence.
Satan will endeavor to keep our eyes upon the valley, our sorrows, our heartaches, our disappointments, our trials and tribulations so we will be discouraged and lose hope.
But we must resolve to look up, for when we lift up our eyes to the hills of glory our hearts will be lifted up also.
When we look up to God and his divine attributes, the immutable promises, the covenant, His providence, and His proved faithfulness, my friend these are the hills to which we must lift up our eyes.
For from these our help must come.
We will not be blindfolded by the devil, but we will lift up our eyes!.
Church, look up to God!
He is your Father.
He is your friend.
He is your Savior. He can help you.
Isaiah 45:22 says, "Look unto me, and be delivered--for I am God.
Listen;
Look up for light to guide you-and He will direct your path.
Look up for grace- for the grace of God is sufficient for you.
Look up for strength to enable you to do and suffer God's will- His strength will be made perfect in your weakness.
When you decide to make that journey into the presence of God, don't underestimate the difficulty of the climb, but His strength is perfect in your weakness.
Look up for comfort to cheer you- as one whom his mother comforts, so will the lord comfort you.
Look up for courage to embolden you- and the Lord will give courage to the faint, and to those who have no might--He will increase strength.
Look up for endurance to keep you- and the God who preserves you will enable you to bear the heaviest burden, and to endure the most painful affliction.
Look up for providence- for God shall supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Look up in faith- exercising confidnece in the Word of a faithful God.
Oh the ascent from your valley of troubles and despair to those hills where the presence of God dwells won't be easy.
But when you look up! When you look up! God will give you strength for the climb.
For we can look up in prayer- asking for what God has graciously promised.
Look up in hope- expecting what you ask in the name of Jesus.
Look up with adoration- and adore the sovereignty, righteousness and wisdom of God.
Look up constantly- let nothing discourage you.
Rather say, My eyes are on the Lord our God.
Look up in every trial, saying, "I will lift up my eyes unto the hills whence comes my help! my help comes from the Lord who made Heaven and earth."
Listen, don't look at your sin- it will discourage you.
Don't look at your self- it will distress you.
Don't look at satan- he will bewilder you.
Don't look to men- they will deceive or disappoint you.
Do not look at your trials- they will deject you.
Listen, "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."
We must always look up! Look up to Jesus.
Run looking, work looking, fight looking, suffer looking, live looking, and die looking.
Looking to who? To Jesus who is the author and finisher of your faith.
A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox. He had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel.
In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox.
The lad dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet.
(He was a very small boy and the rock was very large.) When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn't roll it up and over the little wall.
Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox.
The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed, shoved—but his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby little fingers.
Finally he burst into tears of frustration. All this time the boy's father watched from the living room window as the drama unfolded.
At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy's father.
Gently but firmly he said, "Son, why didn't you use all the strength that you had available?"
Defeated, the boy sobbed back, "But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!"
"No, son," corrected the father kindly. "You didn't use all the strength you had. You didn't ask me."
With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.
How often do we do something like this. We struggle with our problems, we struggle with our weaknesses, and think we are doing all we can!
But sometimes we forget that God is watching us the whole time, and all we had to do was ask Him for help!
God is our Helper. He is the helper of the hopeless, the homeless, the hurting, the discouraged, those who are hurting emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually, and financially.
He is a present help in time of need.
Even though sometimes our friends cannot help us, God is our helper.
His help is more than help, for He carries all the burdens, and supplies all the needs.
In chapter 122 it appears they are at the gates of Jerusalem, or at the temple, for the verse says, "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord."
The journey was worth it. The climb was worth it. The rough road to get here is behind us.
Listen, its easy to stay in the valley. Even though you struggle to survive, you live with disappointments, you face trials, yes its easy to go down into the valley.
But the climb to the mountain is worth the trip!
Verse 2 of chapter 122 says, "Our feet shall stand within thy gates, Oh Jerusalem."
In closing, look up! Look up! Get out of the valley of despair. Get out of the valley of discouragement! Get out of the valley of Mesach and Kedar, for there is nothing but trouble there.
And let us go into the House of the Lord and worship Him.
