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
We spend a lot of time focusing on what’s right in front of us—meals to prepare, children to feed, errands to run, calendars to manage—not to mention our phones! Sometimes we charge right through a day and hardly stop to catch our breath.
The world is full of advice and slogans telling us our lives are what we make of them, that it is all up to us, that if we use the right products and download the smartest apps and implement best practices, we can crush this life. (Crush: How has a word meaning to destroy become a synonym for achievement?)
Ah, but when we lift our eyes, the big picture emerges. The long view comes into focus. Our gaze rests on the mountains, on the beauty and majesty of something far beyond our control. The Lord created heaven and earth, including these soaring peaks that catch our eyes and pull us out of ourselves. They loom over the landscape season after season, often shining white in the sun, in the evening at times purple-black against a blazing sunset, and sometimes concealed in storm clouds. The mountains remind us that we are one small aspect of God’s creation. And yet we are so dear to His heart that He knows us and He helps us, even to the point of sacrificing His Son to save us. Our God is so good to us. Praise His name!
O Lord my Creator, thank You for being my help. Help me to look up frequently, to see the mountains and remember who I am: just one person in Your beautiful creation and yet Your beloved and valued child.