Ecclesiastes 9:2 –All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

This verse is in the Bible, but it reflects complete hopelessness. If this verse was all we had, there would be hope for the Christian above the non-Christian.

There would be no need for any Christian virtue or being holy before God, because there would be no profit to us on this earth for any good thing we might do, think or influence others to do or think.

But see Psalms 121 – even when there is no hope and when all things happen equally to all, whether they are religious or non-religious, God intervenes in the affairs of those that call upon him, and he protects them, guides them, guards them, and watches over them so they will not have to suffer as those that do not call upon his holy name.

Psalm 121 reveals that we are different from the world. The world has no help, nor hope other than themselves, and the devices of their own inventions. We can look outside this world to our creator and eternal Saviour.

I. Who can look?

A. Anyone who wants to look.

B. Anyone who needs to look.

C. Saved and lost alike.

1. I have heard it said that only the saved can ask God for help, but I do not find that in scripture.

2. God hears the prayers of all who pray to him, whether they are saved, lost, faithful, or unfaithful.

3. God will answer prayers according to his own will, some of which is dependent on the "soul desire" of the petitioner.

II. The hills we look to.

A. The writer was probably looking to the hills of Jerusalem, or to God, for their help.

B. If we only look on our "level", we will never find any help.

1. All people on our "level" are equal to us and all of them need help just as we need help.

2. All devices that offer help are also equal to us and all of those devices need help just as we need help.

a. If you are sick, you need to go to a doctor, but the doctor is human and is limited in what he can do.

b. If you are in economic trouble, you can go to a bank for a loan, but the banker is human and cannot help if you do not have the means to repay, and the collateral to secure a loan.

c. If you are under stress, you can go to doctors, or to psychologist, but those people are very limited in how they can help you.

C. The help we look for.

1. I need help now, continually, and in varying forms for the various circumstances I face.

2. Men will probably not understand my needs, but God does.

3. Men will probably not be able to give me the immediate, internal, help I need, but God can.

D. The eyes we look with.

1. We look with fleshly eyes, because that is the only eyes we can look with.

2. We look with spiritual eyes, because God has given us spiritual eyes, therefore we understand there is help outside ourselves, outside our family, outside our friends, and outside any earthly device, structure, or organization.

3. We look with the desire of the heart, not just so we will not have to face terrible issues in our life, but also understanding if it is God’s will for us to go through terrible things, that he will give us grace, understanding, and the will to undergo those things.

4. We look with the desire of the heart for God to bless, keep us safe and secure, because we know God is the only source of true blessings, safety and security.

5. We look with the desire of the heart, praying that God will give us grace to endure whatever his desire for us is.

6. We know times of trouble come to all, but we pray we will be able to live a quiet and peaceable life on this earth.

Verse 2 - My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.

I. My help comes from my creator.

A. Those that believe in evolution (without God) have no place to turn for help.

B. God helps in proportion as we feel our need for help.

1. God will not force himself on any of us, or on any of his creatures.

2. When we receive help from God, we know it is from God.

3. I have no doubt that God could often help us much more than we ask.

4. We do not ask because we do have feel the need for "that much help".

II. Asking for God’s help is never in vain.

A. "My help cometh…"

B. Not from the hills,

C. not from the earth,

D. not from men,

E. but from the LORD!

Verse 3 - He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

I. God will preserve the saintly character of his creatures.

A. If our troubles are caused by our sin, God will forgive our sins and heal our land.

1. James 5:14-15 – The anointing with oil with a physical symbol of spiritually seeking the will of God for forgiveness and healing.

2. II Chronicles 7:14 – God will forgive, cleanse and heal the nation that has forsaken him, if they will only come to him and ask forgiveness, and turn from their wicked ways.

B. Why is God interested in preserving the saintly character of his saints?

1. For his benefit – to direct attention to himself so his great compassion and power will be seen.

2. For the benefit of those that see – to show to all he has the power to intervene in the calamities of life and bless his people.

II. God is always ready to help.

A. God is not like men who need rest, and some personal time.

1. Verse 4 – Some believe the one who keeps Israel slumbers and sleeps, but that is not so.

2. Note: God keeps Israel.

a. God will keep Israel and all who trust in him,

b. But he will keep them in the proportion to their trust in him.

3. Why would God keep individuals?

a. For his glory – that all can see his glory.

b. Because God loves individuals.

1.) God gave his only begotten son to die for individuals.

2.) Believers are his personal treasure, the apple of his eye (Psalms 17:8 – Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings)

B. God’s help is personal.

1. God deals with individuals, as well as with nations.

2. God is such a God that knows, understands, and is able to devise individual help for the individual.

3. God does not give a general help, but individualized help.

Verse 5-6 - The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

I. Compare again to Ecclesiastes 9:2.

A. While the world has no person to help and both good and bad things happen to all, God is still our keeper, and our shade, we are protected.

B. God will protect us from the heat of the sun, and the cold of night.

1. This does not mean we will not have any troubles, but God will cushion the worse of these troubles by giving us hope in him.

2. We will cast all our care upon him, therefore we understand that whatever happens to us is for our good and God’s eternal glory.

3. That makes everything all right with us.

4. That makes us even happy to undergo troubles, but we will not seek troubles.

5. Paul and Silas sang at midnight when they were in prison, and we should also rejoice in trouble because we know God is in control, and we do not know the outcome of our troubles.

C. This is a blessing we might not fully understand, and probably will not understand until eternity.

1. Remember what it was like to be lost and unsure that God was watching over you for good?

2. The world has nobody, but we have GOD!

D. Frankly, there are many necessities of life which demand that God be with us and help us because there are many troubles "out of our control".

II. Titles showing God is our keeper – our shepherd, our king, our husband, our father.

A. God protects us from the elements of this world.

1. God is our protector, not the angels (but they are under his command).

2. This does not mean we will not have to go through some troubles on this earth, but God will be with us when we go through those troubles.

B. See the whole of Psalm 91 to discover how many things God protects us from.

Verse 7,8 - The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

I. God is our preserver.

A. We are not "pickled", but preserved.

B. When God preserves us from all evil, that does not mean evil will not come into our lives, or that we will not have to endure evil.

1. God will preserve our souls, not necessarily our bodies, or our minds.

2. Again, this is a very individual matter, not a collective matter.

II. God continually preserves those that call upon him.

A. God will preserve us through all situation in his world.

B. God will also preserve us through out all eternity.