Preparing For Holy Week

I apologize for being inconsistent with these postings. My computer is old and I am trying to find documents I used in the past and then update them.

Day 34, of On-line Study From Pray. Act. Pray Again. (Page 92)

(Good morning! Tomorrow is Palm Sunday!  As we prepare to begin Holy Week, think of actions you might take this week to be sure you have time to dwell in God’s Word.)

The Lord Is My Keeper, Adapted from Psalm 121.  I lift up my eyes to the mountains, from whence shall my help come?  My help comes from You, Lord, who made heaven and earth. You do not allow my foot to slip; You who keep me do not slumber…You are my keeper, You are the shade on my right hand.  The sun does not smite me by day or the moon by night.  You keep me from all evil.  You keep my soul.  I know that You keep my going out and my coming in from this time forth and forever.  Amen.  

Today’s Focus:

My help comes from You, Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Background:

Psalm 121 is called “A Dialogue of Confession and Assurance.”  According to Augustine, all help on earth and in heaven comes through Christ.  He warns that we need to be careful to worship the Creator and not the creation.  Cassiodorus explains that when the psalmist says “lift up my eyes” he or she means “raise to a higher level.”  Paul’s letter to the Corinthians describes well that “He who supplies seed to the Sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”  During the upcoming Holy Week let us focus on the reality that all help comes from the Lord. 

In truth, we can be lazy and unobservant.  The psalmist knows this and wants us to remember that while we go through periods of sloth, God is always there waiting for us to ask for help.

Saturday’s Questions to Ponder:

Where do you need help this week?  Have you ever asked the Lord for guidance, support and protection?  What has been your experience in those times?