1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills — from whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Psalm 121 is one of the Songs of Ascents — the psalms which were spoken or sung by the people of Israel as they went up to the temple in Jerusalem to worship on feast days.

1. Where do we look for help? Where was the city of Jerusalem located? What was in Jerusalem? Whose presence was sought in the temple at Jerusalem? (Remember that this psalm was used as the people ascended the hills of Judea to Mt. Zion and the site of the temple where Jehovah God served His people through sacrifices for forgiveness and with His holy Word.)

2. Who is the LORD (Jehovah God) who was worshiped at Jerusalem? What did He create?

3. Cf. Psalm 96:5 and Psalm 115:2-11. How is the LORD God so much greater than the gods worshiped by other peoples and nations in the earth?

4. How is it comforting to have the God who created the heavens and earth as our Source of help? Cf. Nehemiah 9:6 and Jeremiah 32:17.

5. What does it mean when the psalmist says that the LORD will not allow our foot to be moved or to slip? Where do we regularly pray for this? Cf. Matthew 6:13.

6. Is there ever a time when the LORD will not be attentive to our prayers? Why not? Cf. Isaiah 65:24.

7. Why can we come to the LORD God in prayer? Cf. 1 John 5:11-15.

8. What does it mean when it says the LORD is our Keeper? Cf. Daniel 5:23; Acts 17:23-28.

9. How is the LORD our shade? From what does He protect us? Cf. Psalm 91:1-8.

10. How does He protect us from all evil? Cf. Psalm 91:9-16. When things which appear evil happen to us, how does the LORD use them in our life? If God allows us to die, how are we still protected from all evil? Cf. Matthew 6:13.

11. How does the LORD preserve our soul? Cf. Philippians 1:6; John 10:27-30.

12. How does the LORD preserve our going out and our coming in from now to eternity? Cf. 2 Timothy 4:18.

Look at LSB Hymn No. 877. How does it echo the message of this psalm?