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Morning Devotion for the Season after Pentecost
October 6, 2026
Reading: Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills; *
from where is my help to come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, *
the maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved *
and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.
4 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel *
shall neither slumber nor sleep;
5 The Lord himself watches over you; *
the Lord is your shade at your right hand,
6 So that the sun shall not strike you by day, *
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; *
it is he who shall keep you safe.
8 The Lord shall watch over your going out and
your coming in, *
from this time forth for
Meditation: Jo Ann B. Jones
In the days after graduation from Law School and before taking the Bar Exam, I would often, after a long day of studying, take my dog for a long walk. Of course, the first objective was to exercise my dog, but as the walk evolved I found myself looking to God for guidance. There was something about walking that caused me to look ahead and that called me to look to God. The pace of the walk changed; moreover, my vision also changed. I felt confident that somehow I was seen and I was receiving guidance, often for what I knew not.
Perception is deceptively effortless: open my eyes and see a rich and dynamic world filled with wondrous colors and fine detail. However, I am periodically reminded that perception is actually not simple at all. Sometimes what I perceived was more complex than I believed.When we observe a moving object, what does it tell us about vision, other than it is more complex. In Psalm 121 the psalmist is both looking to the hills, to seek help, something that is not necessarily easily or consistently made an object, with a deep sense of expectation that it will come. As the psalmist’s walk continues his relationship with God deepens. There is a strong sense of permanence and commitment that God extends to the speaker and, simultaneously, to the larger company.
It is quite easy to the richness of the language as a song of faith. I know that as I walked those hot summer days, that what I was seeking and what I experienced, in a shortened form, was my own prayer/psalm as my own expression of my faith, a pattern established by the ancient Israelites. When they made a pilgrimage they sang songs to express their faith. For the Israelites, the effect of their singing assisted the community in deepening its faith.
Nonetheless, crucial to the psalm (and to me) is the dependence upon vision directed to heaven and God’s very presence there. The visual anchors the speaker’s faith and mine. Often our faith is not satisfied by what we see. Often we must live in that faith, awaiting the hoped outcome. We must be still and know that “I am God.” For perhaps what God has in mind for us is greater than what we asked, let alone, imagined.
There is in this psalm a plea for mercy is repeated three times, underscoring the sense of powerlessness. I, too, have repeated a plea for mercy or help. How uplifting that that the psalmist’s hope is not inhibited because this prayer is directed to the divine king “enthroned in heaven” The eyes of the people, as are mine, are looking expectantly to God: male and female servants look to their masters and mistresses, as appropriate, male and female, plural and singular - to express that all look God.
Prayer for Quiet Confidence
O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength. By the might of your Spirit, lift us,we pray you, to your presence, where we may be still, and know that you are God Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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