As the mountains surround Jerusalem, the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever. Psalm 125:2
The other day, a young mother was struggling with her toddler, who was throwing a tantrum in a busy airport. He was screaming, kicking, and refusing to board the plane. This young mother, who was also very pregnant with another child, was burdened to the nth degree. Finally, in this frustrating dilemma, she gave up and started crying, covering her face with both hands.
Then out of the blue, six women travelers, all strangers to the young mother, formed a circle around her and the child and shared their snacks and water with them. While doing so, they spoke gentle words of comfort and encouragement and even sang a familiar nursery song to the child. This brought great calm to the mother and child, which allowed them to board the plane peacefully, without any further strain or stress.
The six women boarded the plane and took their seats, knowing that what they had done helped this young mother in her moments of travail.1
This incident illustrates a beautiful truth and lesson from Psalm 125, which states that as the mountains surround the people of Jerusalem, so too does the Lord surround us during our most difficult moments and refuses to leave even after all is okay.
The mention of Jerusalem and its mountains in this Psalm has particular meaning to me because I have been there. Old Jerusalem, as a city, is very small and compact. In my younger days, I could have jogged around it in about 35 minutes. The city is very special, though, for Scripture refers to it as God’s city, and of course, Jesus spent much of His time there. The Mount of Olives, Mount Zion, and Mount Moriah are the mountains that surround it.
I guess the next time I visit Jerusalem, I will take special note of these mountains. However, if I don’t return, I will keep in mind how these encircle Jerusalem, just as God surrounds me during my most dire times, just as those women did with that young mother and her toddler.
I will lift my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, the Lord who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. He is your keeper, the shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. He will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. Psalm 121:1-8
Footnotes
- Patricia Raybon, Surrounded by God, Daily Bread, (Thursday, March 28, 2019 )