Turn (Daily Encouragement)
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. – Psalm 121:1
This week we are diving further into Psalm 120-121 which gives us a picture of the start of the journey to Jerusalem and a framework for the start of the christian journey. Yesterday we saw that the “ascent” starts with “descent” and acknowledging there is trouble – around us and in us. The next logical step when we face trouble is to “turn” from it.
During the times of the writing of the Psalms, “the hills” represent both danger – where enemies would wait to attack, as well as “idols” or pagan gods that people would turn to for help. High places offered answers to problems, remedies for ills, protections, insurances, quick fixes of all sorts (Wilcock). The call is to turn to God, “who made heaven and earth” and not to turn “to the hills” when we are in trouble. The biblical idea of turning from idols or self to God is repentance.
Repentance is not an emotion. It is not feeling sorry for your sins. It is a decision. It is deciding that you have been wrong in supposing that you could manage your own life and be your own god; it is deciding that you were wrong in thinking that you had, or could get, the strength, education and training to make it on your own; it is deciding that you have been told a pack of lies about yourself and your neighbors and your world. And it is deciding that God in Jesus Christ is telling you the truth. Repentance is a realization that what God wants from you and what you want from God are not going to be achieved by doing the same old things, thinking the same old thoughts. Repentance is a decision to follow Jesus Christ and become his pilgrim in the path of peace. – Eugene Peterson
What are “the hills” you tend to turn to when you are in trouble? What does it look like to instead turn to and follow Jesus on his path of peace?