Mountain Vespers

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip, he who watches over you will not slumber;

Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you, the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life;

The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

In the midst of God’s creation, I easily find His help, guidance and power. This picture reminds me of God’s grand power and intimacy with me. Psalm 121 is a psalm of praise of what the Lord does for each of His children, if we allow him to do so.

We are in the midst of camping season. Camp or wilderness is a place that I naturally unwind and relax. It is a setting that I am able to disconnect from the world and connect with God. Growing up, camp was the place I learned who God is and what community is. It was the place I learned about the love of God and the place I found strength. Camp has had a profound impact on me and allowed me to escape from all the things at home that distracted me from hearing and knowing the Lord.

Camping season has started and camp is a place that I believe the youth and volunteers can be removed from distractions and experience a loving Christian community for a week. Camp is a special place to connect with God and others. At camp, I saw the Lord’s strength and learned that He will protect me from harm. I came to know that the Lord is my guide and my strength. I saw this at camp and saw the Lord’s power in His creation.

Distractions are all around us and compete for our attention all the time. I find it hard to connect with God in the midst of daily life. My hope is that you can reflect and remember a time when you have been purely connected to God and nothing was distracting you from His love and guidance.

I want to challenge you this week to find a time to remove distractions so you can hear from the Lord. Here are a few questions for you to reflect about connecting with God. Where do you find that deep connection with God? Where do you meet God without distraction? How can you connect with God regularly?

Prayer: Lord, this world is full of distractions, help us connect deeply with you without interruptions. Help each of us know where we connect to you most. Lord I pray we can each find you in the midst of the distractions of this world. I pray we can surrender everything to you. It is only through abandoning ourselves that we will be able to recognize your voice. Help each of us get out of the way to hear your voice clearly. Amen!