From whence shall my help come?

"I shall lift my eyes to the mountains, from whence shall my help come?" Thus begins the 121st Psalm, posing the question that probably comes to every person's mind when help is most urgently needed. The answer is stated in the following verse, "My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth." And if I should wonder at a persistent "downturn" in my fortunes, as if this suggested my help is late in coming, the psalm's author urges me to consider in the next verse, "He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber."

If Americans are wondering about the source of their help in dire times, they should resist the urge to lift their eyes to the Capitol, hoping for a bailout. Nor should they lift their eyes to a new president, so full of hope and promises for all the right changes. And looking to God to somehow open an economic path through the sea of red ink might not be the best use of faith in the Bible, given that God has often permitted His people to suffer misfortune along with the rest of humanity in this fallen world.

Sincere believers in many nations today would like to have our "recession" level of prosperity, as it would still be way ahead of their subsistence standard of living. And for that matter, the wealth of the Saudis and other oil-rich nations isn't an indication that God is helping them, especially as they have rejected His Son in favor of their "prophet."

Ah, but is my help delayed or absent? Far from it, for as the 121st draws to its conclusion, it promises that my God will "protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul." In a world still burdened by the corruption of sin in all its forms, including materialism, greed and excessive use of credit economics, God gives no promises of a safe and secure bubble in which His people may happily pass the years awaiting Christ's return.

God has committed Himself to protecting the most valuable asset a man has: his soul. And from the day I committed my soul to Jesus Christ, I've been ready for whatever this world may bring me. I know my Helper, and He's not asleep at the switch.