What the Lord is to us

“The LORD is thy keeper, the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.

The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.”
(Psalm 121:5-6)
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I have learnt to go to bed and sleep soundly and undisturbed because the LORD, the Creator of the universe, watches over me without blinking. He neither slumbers nor sleeps. He guards and protects His own unceasingly, and so none of His sheep can be stolen from His flock. He is the Good and Great Shepherd. Day and night He dutifully guards and protects His own.
Isaiah 26:3 & 4 says:
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed (fixed) on thee; because he trusteth in thee.
Trust ye in the LORD forever; for on the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.”

Trusting the LORD, and casting your burdens upon Him with the knowledge that He cares for you, is the only sure way to having a fulfilling and satisfying Christian walk, and abiding fellowship with the LORD. He will not allow your foot to be moved (Psalm 121:3a) because He who keeps you will not slumber. He will neither be negligent for you to dash your foot against a stone, because He has charged His angels to minister unto you day and night. Psalm 91: 10-12 gives us this incontestable and solid promise:

“Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.”

Psalm 121 is a great Psalm of hope, comfort and strength as we traverse this universe with its ever-changing times, seasons and experiences. Let us observe from verses 5 & 6 the following for our comfort and encouragement:

1. THE LORD IS THY KEEPER- verse 5a. The Psalmist declares plainly in this verse; “The LORD is thy keeper.” In verses 3 & 4, he had stated that “he that keepeth thee will not slumber.” Again, he had declared in verse 4: “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep”.

One may ask, who is he that does the keeping? The unnamed one who does the keeping is now specifically named in this verse. He is the LORD Himself. The Psalmist clears any doubt or misconception about the identity of the one keeping watch over you. He states emphatically and without any ambiguity that “THE LORD IS THY KEEPER”
I believe it is the same Keeper in the New Testament that Paul referred to as being able to keep that which he had committed to him against that day. (2 Timothy 1:12). “The LORD is thy keeper” – what a soothing, satisfying and sustaining promise we have to repose our confidence in!

2. THE LORD IS THY SHADE- verse 5b.
Oh, how the scorching heat of the constant changing of life beats us without the intervention of the LORD! When the pressures and uncertainties of life bite us, as the scorching sun of the desert, we will not feel its impact, because the LORD is our SHADE. It is instructive to note that the LORD does not provide us with a shade, rather He Himself is our impenetrable, indestructible and immovable SHADE to us. The LORD Himself, being our Shade, makes the difference. Psalm 91:4 says:

“He shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler”

The LORD is our SHADE and He will cover us with His feathers, and under His wings shall we trust. As the hen protects her chicks from heat and harm with her feathers and under her wings, so does the Lord do for His children. The LORD, as our SHADE, will keep us safe from the heat, and any harm that will come our way.

3. THE LORD IS THY SHADE UPON THY RIGHT HAND – verse 5 .
Beloved, because the LORD is our SHADE, we have a comprehensive cover for all seasons and times.

a. The sun shall not smite thee by day

b. The moon shall not smite thee by night.

He is the LORD of the sun (day) and the LORD of the moon (night). For Him, day and night are the same. By the irresistible power of His Word, He spoke them into existence. (Please read Colossians 1:16-17).
The conclusion of the whole matter is that because the LORD is our HELPER, KEEPER and SHADE, we can be sure that nothing untoward will happen to any of His own, either in the day or in the night, because He watches over us unblinkingly in love. We can go to bed and sleep soundly and undisturbed without any worries. He will take care of us at all times. Shalom.

OUR PRAYER
Lord, teach us to depend on your help and draw our strength from you. Also, help us to trust in your keeping power and abide under your SHADE. Amen.