This is one of the psalms of ascent. It is one that the people of God would have sung as they made their pilgrimage leading up to the temple. We can imagine them climbing the temple steps, their eyes rising to the mountains that surround Jerusalem. How stable and protective those mountains must have seemed. They are a perfect metaphor for the faithfulness of God that surrounds us when times seem chaotic, uncertain, or even dangerous. When it seems there is little we can count on in this world, the scriptures promise we can depend on the faithfulness of God to accompany us through every valley and mountaintop moment of life.
When has God’s faithfulness brought you comfort, peace, or stability in uncertain times? What are the symbols of that faithfulness? What signs help you to trust God’s promise of presence?
In prayer, offer up a situation that makes you feel worried, uncertain, or afraid. Ask for a heart that trusts God’s promise of unshakable love and faithfulness, even when we feel powerless over the outcome.