Psalm 121 – The God who Never Slumbers
Who likes to sleep? This is a very dangerous question for Sunday morning at church! You might
be hoping to catch a little sleep right now during the service! But who enjoys sleeping? Or you
wish you could get more sleep than you do? Who doesn’t like sleeping and thinks they get far
too much? Nobody thinks that-like when you ask someone how they’re doing people always
answer-I’ve been busy, I’m tired. Have you ever heard anyone say-I’ve got nothing going on and
I’ve been getting way too much sleep lately-probably not! Sleep is a precious commodity we
could all use more of. So let me ask the next question-how long can you go without sleep?
Who’s good for pulling the all-nighter? Maybe you had a test to study for-or a late night flight or
long road trip. Usually you can make it through missing one night of sleep-but it’s the next day
that really hits you! Or has anyone gone 2 days without sleep-anywhere from 36-48 hours of
staying awake? I’ve been close to that traveling to and from India being in and out of airports.
But I looked this up and after going 2 days without sleep the symptoms include-increased
irritability and stress level, extreme fatigue, decreased motivation (because you’re tired!)-and
these next two are funny-risky decisions and inflexible reasoning! Meaning that you don’t make
good decisions and nobody can talk you out of it! That’s it-I’m moving to Florida! Which
actually might be a good decision-but don’t make big life choices when you haven’t slept for
awhile. But do you know what the record is for staying awake and not sleeping? Apparently a 17
year old kid named Randy Gardner set the record for his science fair project back in 1965-no
one’s topped it since then. Talk about being committed to your science fair project! But Randy
stayed awake-wait for it-for 264 hours-that’s 11 days without sleep! I hope he won first place at
the science fair! But can you imagine staying awake that long? That would be like starting today
and then still being awake next Sunday for church and then not going to sleep until Thursday
morning. I think we all shudder at the thought! So when you lay down and go to sleep tonight
thank the Lord you’re not involved in a weird science fair project! But the reason I bring this up
is that we can’t fathom not sleeping-it’s a part of who we are. We get tired, we need our rest and
recovery time-to stretch out, lay our head on the pillow, get under the covers and sleep.
But as we come to the Psalms this morning-resuming our series-Summer in the Psalms-we’ll be
reminded that we have a God who never sleeps! We have a God who never gets tired, never gets
exhausted, never takes a nap or needs to lie down. And while that’s praiseworthy in and of it
self it ultimately means He never stops watching over us. That even though we get tired and fall
asleep, He stays awake constantly caring for us and protecting us. So you can open your Bibles
or we’ll have it up on the screen-Psalm 121:1-2. There’s a lot packed into those opening verses
and before we dive into them I want us to examine the context of this Psalm. You might see it
listed in your Bible before verse 1-but this Psalm is part of a collection of Psalms known as the
Songs of Ascent. The collection begins with Psalm 120 and ends at 134. So there’s 15 of them-
and Psalm 121 is the second one. And each week we’ve been highlighting how the psalms were
originally songs-so this is like track 2 on the Songs of Ascent greatest hits album. And these were
songs that the people would sing on their way to Jerusalem for the annual festivals-Passover in
the spring, Pentecost/Harvest in the summer, and Tabernacles/Ingathering in the fall. These were
traveling songs, road trip music that you would put on your playlist when you and your family
made the journey to Jerusalem. Just think about what songs you like to play in the car-what
songs make it onto your playlist-that’s Psalm 121-which is probably the best known of the Songs
of Ascent. But why Songs of Ascent-not just songs of journeying or songs of traveling? Because
Jerusalem sits atop the hills at about 2700 ft-so there’s a literal ascending that God’s people
would do to reach Jerusalem. They were ascending from the lower elevations in order to arrive at
Jerusalem for worship. And the connection today is so vivid for us. One author said-As
ascending pilgrims, we should be advancing in spiritual maturity and growing in God. This
growth happens as our hearts ascend in regular praise and prayer to our Creator and Redeemer.
Have you ever thought of your praises ascending to the Lord? Have you ever thought of yourself
as an ascending pilgrim-going from the lowlands of earth to the heavenly city God is preparing?
You can see the connection in Hebrews 11:8, 10. How incredible is that? Can you imagine the
city where God is the architect? Talk about soaring skyscrapers and sprawling parks! But
Abraham was the original ascending pilgrim-and listen to how it continues speaking of him-and
his descendants-Hebrews 11:13b-16. That includes us-and we know what that city is, not the
Jerusalem at 2700 ft-but the New Jerusalem that will come down from heaven one day-the city
that Jesus Himself is constructing and preparing for us-John 14:2-3. He’s saying it’s no fantasy or
pipe dream but a reality, a residence you will occupy one day. So that means we are not home
yet-we are journeying through life-not necessarily with our feet hiking up 2500 ft, but with our
hearts looking up in faith. We’re ascending pilgrims with a song of praise on our lips just like
they were singing the Songs of Ascent. So Pt1a:Descriptions of our Journey: Not-home nature of
our faith. Do you think of yourself at home? Do you look around and feel settled in at home?
You love your home-all the improvements and renovations you’ve made-you love your couch
and your favorite chair-and no one better sit in your seat or touch your remote-this is home and
you’re not going anywhere! Yes-home is good! But do you realize as a follower of Christ you’re
not home? That neither the home you’re living in now, or the home you grew up in, or the dream
home you’re longing for, not even this world is home-because your home is still under
construction by Jesus. That He’s getting it all ready for you-perfectly designed as He knows best.
If there’s one thing this Psalm needs to remind you of this morning-it’s that you’re not home yet
you’re not meant to be home until you are in the presence of the Lord, in that house, that room
He’s literally preparing for you. You-and every other believer-are ascending pilgrims until that
day. And because of that Pt1b:Descriptions of our Journey: Not looking at our surroundings but
at our Savior. The surroundings are the place we’re passing through; they’re not where we’re
settling in. They’re not the destination, nor should they be a distraction steering our hearts away
in fear or intimidation. We have to be pilgrims with our eyes focused in the right direction.
So go back and hear the psalmist asking himself this question-Psalm 121:1-2. He begins by
looking at the nature of this ascent-the hills that lie before him. He realizes he’s got a long way to
go, the journey isn’t easy, the hills are high, the road is treacherous. He’s not necessarily saying
The hills are alive with music-this is a lovely hike! He’s intimidated, wondering how he’s going
to accomplish the hike and get there-I’m looking at these hills-and first thing I’m wondering is
where I’m going to get some help! When was the last time you were intimidated by the road
ahead in life? When was the last time you saw the journey and realized it wasn’t a flat, simple
path-but a rocky, hilly road? That instead of thinking-I’ve got this, no problem-you thought to
yourself-I don’t have this at all, I’m in some serious need of some help! That’s the question this
guy is asking himself-and yet the answer couldn’t be any more clearer. I’m looking towards these
hills on the horizon, starting to get a little freaked out here, not sure I’m going to make it-and
who’s my help? Oh yeah-the God of the universe who made those hills and all of creation! The
weight of that answer is immense! We can hardly get our heads around it. He’s the God who
made everything. And Scripture is so clear on this-very first verse of the Bible-Gen 1:1.That is
fact #1 from which everything else follows. Look at Ex 20:11. So there’s the command to
remember the Sabbath Day-but what’s the reason? Because in 6 days-not a long time-in 6 days
just shy of a week-God made the entire universe! It took me a lot longer to build a table!
I like how Jeremiah recognizes this-Jer 32:17. And Jeremiah isn’t just saying this in passing-or
trying to give some nice sounding encouragement-Nothing’s too hard for you, Lord, I’m sure
you’ll pull it off. He literally means it! Nothing-absolutely nothing that we could ever think of or
imagine or deal with is too hard for you, Lord. But lots of things are way too hard for us. I still
have nightmares and shudder thinking about some of those math courses I took in college. I had
no idea what the professor was talking about-too hard was an understatement. But so many
things in life are too hard-maybe your job is right now, maybe there’s a bad habit you’re
struggling with that seems too hard to quit, maybe there’s some relationships in your life or even
your marriage that seems too hard; that sorting through the baggage and finding reconciliation
seems too far-fetched and unattainable. That statement will never apply to you and me-ever-but it
always applies to the Lord! And isn’t that incredible! Isn’t that so comforting! Because that
means the person who’s your primary helper in life is the one who finds nothing too hard.
So as the Maker of Heaven and Earth-Pt2a:Descriptions of our God: Nothing’s too hard for Him.
And that even includes the things you’re going through right now! The stuff that has you so
worried, thinking there’s no way out, no possible solution, no fix to this one-even that isn’t too
hard for Him. Look at Ps 146:5-6. Your help, your hope is in the One who made everything-even
the complex ocean life! I’ve used this analogy before but it’s so applicable-if you’re a character
in a story this is saying your helper is the author who’s writing the story; the guy who came up
with the idea and typed it up. So when He says I’ve got a great ending coming up (which He
does) and says I’ll be with you throughout the entire journey (which He is)-what can we be
afraid of? He’s written the story! He’s made our world! Back to-Ps 121:1-2. Could there be a
more stark contrast between a few hills on the horizon-and our God who created heaven and
earth? There isn’t-and yet where do we often set our sights? Is it on our Creator or is it on the
challenges of creation and the stuff we’re going through? Back to Pt2. He is our helper and our
strength and our hope. No one else. And yet I don’t know about you-but I find it way too easy to
get scared by looking at my surroundings, way too easy to get freaked out, stressed out, worn-out
and tired by looking at all I can’t do-all that’s too hard for me-forgetting this truth that says
nothing’s too hard for Him.
And listen to how the psalmist continues his song of ascent-Ps 121:3-4. And here we are back to
the topic we started with this morning. God doesn’t just stay awake for a record-breaking 11
days-which is again very impressive! But He never slumbers nor sleeps! There has never been
once in His entire eternal existence where God got a bit sleepy, yawned and thought I could use a
nap. Yes-He rested on the 7th day after creation-but that was to highlight the importance of joy
and fellowship, to give us the example of setting our work aside to focus on Him-and ultimately
the Sabbath reveals how we rest from our works and trust in Jesus alone for our salvation. But
God didn’t take a well-deserved nap on the 7th day or zone out to catch a bit of shut eye. In fact,
this was the source of Elijah’s joke when he was challenging the prophets of Baal and their false
belief in the pagan gods. Remember how they both set up altars and the prophets cried out all
day to the heavens but their god never answered-and what did Elijah say-1 Kings 18:27 NIV.
Maybe your god just needs some extra rest-he’s been a bit overworked recently! Wake him up!
But there was no response-and it wasn’t because he was sleepy-but because he didn’t exist. But
our God does exist. He answered Elijah’s call that day-and He answers ours today. And He never,
ever slumbers or sleeps! He’s always awake, always active, always involved, always in control.
Pt2b:Descriptions of our God: Never falls asleep on the job. I’m sure that if we’re honest we’ve
all had a moment where we dozed off at work. Or worse yet gotten really sleepy and almost
dozed off driving-you open your eyes to a new stretch of road. Okay-time to pull over for a
coffee! But God never needs an extra cup of coffee to keep Him going. He is involved and
engaged in every single moment of your life. And that’s what the psalmist is communicating by
saying that God never slumbers or sleeps. There is never a moment when His attention is
elsewhere and He’s lost sight of what you’re doing. Go back to the text-Ps 121:3-4.
And that’s the key word we want to look at next-in fact it’s the key word used multiple times in
the rest of this psalm. God is our keeper. It’s the Hebrew word Shamar and it’s used 6 times in
this 8 verse psalm-so it’s really important. Shamar means to guard, protect, watch over, attend to
carefully. You can think of a group of soldiers on the march and someone takes the night watch
to keep an eye out for the enemy. They’re staying awake and guarding camp so while everyone
else is sleeping the enemy doesn’t slip in. Or a more everyday example is a mom with her kids
especially at the store or the park. She’s keeping a close eye on her kids, never letting them out
of her sight. And we all know that moms have eyes in the back of their head. You think you’re
being sneaky-and mom says-I saw that! You’re baffled-How in the world? But with a newborn
that’s fussy or a sick kid, mom is up all night watching over them. And that’s how our God
watches over us, never pausing to sleep. In fact, our God stays awake so that we can peacefully
fall sleep. Who hasn’t woken up in the middle of the night worried and stressed about
something? Or hasn’t been able to sleep at all because of anxiety? Exposition, 193. What an
accurate phrase-we’ve all battled the dragons of the night! But you can hand those things over to
the Lord who’s keeping watch over you. You can sleep and rest in Him, because He’s wide
awake, not sleeping. Ps 121:3-4-and then it continues-Ps 121:5-7. There’s that word again
keeper. You might lose your way or lose sight of what you’re doing-but the Lord doesn’t lose
sight of you. He will keep your life.
And that’s the next Pt2c:Descriptions of our God: Never loses sight of His children. Whether it’s
the hot burning sun by day or the moon by night, the Lord is your keeper. I’m sure that you have
stuff at your house you’ve kept for a long time. And maybe your family’s told you to get rid of it,
throw it out, it’s just taking up space-but you’ve insisted and said-No, I’m keeping that-whether
it’s because of sentimental value or it was handed down to you or because you’ll use it one day.
I’m still keeping my VCR in the basement-because I still have the original Star Wars trilogy on
VHS. That’s not going anywhere-I’m keeping it-and we all have things we’re keeping a tight
grip on. But far more than an old VCR or anything else you might have, God is keeping a firm
grip on us-and He won’t lose sight of where we are or what we’re going through or what we’re
facing. As our Father in heaven-the Lord never loses sight of His children. Look back at Ps
121:7. And that doesn’t mean we’re shielded from the evil of the world. We see it around us and
live in it constantly. It also doesn’t mean were kept from the evil choices and bad consequences
of our sin. Each one of us has made bad mistakes in life and we’ve had to deal with the regret
and ramifications of what we’ve done-and sometimes those things are really painful and hard.
This doesn’t mean we don’t experience the evil of this fallen world-but it does mean that as
God’s children, as someone who’s trusted in Jesus and follows Him, the Lord will keep you from
the lasting condemnation of your sin. That if you’re a child of God, evil doesn’t win in the end
because Jesus conquered all sin and evil at the cross and His grace wins out instead. Look at
Rom 8:1-2. By being in Christ Jesus, by believing in Him for salvation-the condemning power of
sin has no hold on you anymore. You’ve been set free from that-because the Lord has a hold of
you. The big question is if you’re in Christ Jesus. The question isn’t if Jesus can save you-as
we’ve said the Lord never loses sight of any of children. Without a doubt He has the power to
save you no matter what you’ve done. The question is if you’ve trusted in Him to save you!
Now you and me and everyone else will die unless the Lord returns first-but by being in Christ
Jesus and trusting in Him we are ascending pilgrims who’s sights aren’t set on this world, but on
that eternal city who’s architect and builder is God; on the place that Jesus is preparing for us in
eternity where we’ll be resurrected to dwell with Him forever, never to die again. So when the
Lord promises to save us and forgive us-He also promises to bring us home-Ps 121:8. One day
you’re coming home. One day your home will be God’s home; His address will be your address.
And with the Lord as your keeper He will make sure it happens,-He will keep your going out and
your coming in-you don’t have to find your way home all by yourself. That’s the confidence of
the psalmist-and it needs to be your confidence too! Pt2d:Descriptions of our God: Always
brings His children home. As a child of God, there’s never any place too far you can run to,
there’s never any mistakes that are too bad or too much. Now the Lord doesn’t want you
traveling down the those roads. Running away or turning to sin only leads you in the opposite
direction of where you’re going as His child. And I’ve sure we’ve all felt like a descending
pilgrim at times, making far too many bad choices that are keeping us from growing in the Lord
and ascending to Him. But when we confess those sins we have a God who is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness-1 John 1. Or what about the prodigal
son who made all sorts of mistakes and wasted the family inheritance-Luke 15:20-24. That father
never lost sight of his son-that even from a long way off he ran to embrace him-and your Father
is heaven does exactly the same thing. He will not lose sight of you-but will run to embrace you
and forgive you, to cleanse you and restore-and most importantly to bring you home to celebrate!
One of my favorite quotes from CS Lewis says this-Business of Heaven, 17.
We might be muddied and tattered children-you might be feeling rather muddy and tattered
today-but you have a God in heaven who’s your helper. He’s present and at work within you. He
never slumbers or sleeps; He’s a God who watches over you, protects you, and-Ps 121:8! There’s
never a time when His care for you ceases. Never a moment in this life-and into eternity when
He loses sight of you. He’s always your keeper! And these words from Ps 121 that we’ve been
looking at this morning remind me of the closing words from the book of Jude-let’s say them
together-Jude 24-25. Do you believe that? A God who will ultimately keep you from stumbling
and losing your way-because He promises to bring you home into His presence-and did you see
how-not begrudgingly but with great joy!
Leave a Reply