Psalm 121 – A Song Of Help! Series

We are going to the Psalter again today, the book of Psalms, the largest book in your bible, the book the perhaps best captures the human experience, recording within it all of the ups and downs we may experience, as well the all of the human emotions we may feel along this journey called life, under the sun, today we are going to Psalm 121…

Psalm 121 (NKJV)

God the Help of Those Who Seek Him

A Song of Ascents.

Ascents -?????????????? (lam·ma·‘a·lo·w?)

1) what comes up, thoughts 2) step, stairs 3) stories (of heaven) 4) song of ascent

Psalm 121 (NKJV)

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—

From whence comes my help?

2 My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;

The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

6 The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Let’s pray..

In 1965 a young man, at the age of 25, who was literally sitting on top of the entertainment world wrote a song, that makes a good reference point for my messages introduction, and lays an excellent foundation for the message that I believe God has for us today.

That young man’s name was John Lennon, who was a member of a musical band that holds the record, even today, of the most musical units sold (by that I mean records, cd’s itune downloads, all the various ways in which music is sold) of all time. 183 million units, the monetary amount made from those sales is almost incalculable, the estimated amount being over 1 billion dollars.

The popularity of the band that he was the founder and leader of called the Beatles, was so great that the British press coined a phrase trying to define the utter hysteria that this band would cause at it came to city after city around the world to perform to hordes of screaming, weeping, hysterical mostly teenage fans. The term that used to describe it was Beatlemania!

Their popularity was so great that that Lennon in an interview that he primarily thought was somewhat off the record , made a comment that he later went on to deeply regret saying that the “Beatles were more popular, more well known, than Jesus Christ.” A statement he later apologized for, but in many quarters was never fully forgiven.

Anyway in the midst of this unprecedented historic popularity, a popularity that still remains unmatched in the entertainment world today, and regardless of the fact that the wealth that he amassed was almost incalculable, his net worth being estimated at $800 million dollars at the time of his death, he wrote a song that became the sound track for the groups second full -length movie. And the lyrics went like this…

Help, I need somebody

Help, not just anybody

Help, you I need someone – Help!

When I was younger so much younger than today

I never needed anybody’s help in any way

But now these days are gone, I’m not so self-assured

Now I find, I’ve changed my mind, and opened up the doors.

Help me if you can, I’m feeling down

And I do appreciate you being ‘round

Help me get my feet back on the ground

Won’t you please, please help me!

And when asked about the “meaning” behind those lyrics, this is what he said:

John Lennon- “This is only one of the two true songs I ever wrote, the other being ‘Strawberry Fields.”

Why was it real?

John Lennon- “Because I meant it. It’s real! When ‘Help!’ came out, I was crying out for help. Most people think it’s just a fast rock’n’roll song. But I was really crying out for help!

Well the help he was looking for first come through the use of drugs which never work, and then in the solace he found in a relationship that he developed with the avant-garde artist from Japan named Yoko One. A relationship he left his wife Cynthia for, and ended up marrying Ono on March 16th 1969. Relying on her so heavily, I believe it being due to the fact that he in all actuality had no mother. You see his mother Julia was deemed by her sister Mimi to be unfit to raise John for various reasons, and so she took John in her care. His father was unknown by John basically not being in his life in any meaningful way. Julia was then killed in a tragic accident where she was run down by a drunken policeman at the age of 17.