‘My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.’ (Ps 121 [120]:2)
Is there anyone who, at certain times of their life, has not felt that they simply could no longer cope? The author of Psalm 121 felt like this when facing great difficulties and wondered where the help needed could be found.
The answer is an affirmation of faith in God, in whom he or she trusts. The conviction with which the author speaks of the Lord, who watches over and protects each individual and all peoples, expresses a certainty that seems to arise from deep personal experience.
‘My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.’
The rest of the psalm, in effect, is a proclamation of a powerful and loving God, who created all that exists and guards it day and night. The Lord ‘will not let your foot falter, will not let your keeper fall asleep’ (i), says the psalmist, eager
to convince the reader. Although surrounded by difficulties, the author has looked up (ii), sought a foothold outside and beyond their immediate sphere and found an answer. He or she has experienced that help comes from the One who gave life to every creature, who continues to sustain everything at all times and will never abandon it.(iii) The psalmist firmly believes in this God who watches over everyone day and night: he or she is ‘the keeper of Israel’ (iv) and therefore, this belief must be communicated to others.
‘My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.’
Chiara Lubich says, ‘In times of uncertainty, anguish and delay, God wants us to believe in his love and asks us to trust… He wants us to take advantage of these painful circumstances to show him that we believe in his
love. And that means to have faith that he is our father who does not abandon us. That means casting all our worries onto him, loading everything on to him.’ (v)
But how does God‘s help actually reach each one of us? Scripture recounts many episodes when this comes about through the actions of men and women, such as Moses, Elijah, Elisha or Esther, who were called to be instruments of divine care and concern for a particular person or for whole nations. We too, if we ‘look up,’ will recognize the action of people who, consciously or not, come to our aid and we will be grateful to God from whom all goodness ultimately comes, for it is he who created each person’s heart. We will be able to witness this goodness to other people.
It is difficult to do this if we are closed in on ourselves and rely solely on our own strength to solve problems during challenging times.
Instead, when we are more open and our eyes are raised and see around us, we also discover that we can be instruments of God who provides for his children. We sense the concerns of others and can give them much needed help.
‘My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.’
Roger, from Costa Rica, recounts. ‘A priest I knew told me that someone was coming to the social help centre to collect some incontinence pads for a parishioner who needed them. While I was waiting for him, I saw a neighbour
passing by who I knew was living in a very difficult situation and I gave her some food including the last seven eggs I had. She was surprised by what I did and revealed that she had nothing in her home that she, her husband or her
children could eat. I reminded her that Jesus’ said, “Ask and it will be given to you” (Mt 7:7), emphasizing that he is aware of our needs. She returned home happy and grateful to God.
In the afternoon the person sent by the priest arrived. I offered him coffee. He was a truck driver and, while chatting, I asked him what he was transporting. “Eggs,” he replied, and he wanted to give me thirty-two!’
Silvano Malini & the Word of Life Team
i Ps. 121 [120]:3
ii Cf. idem v.1
iii Cf. idem v3
iv Cf. idem v.4
v C.Lubich. ‘Conversations’ Rome 2019
