https://odb.org/2025/11/21/always-awake-2
Psalm 121:1-4 NIV- 1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Two pilots fell asleep in the middle of their flight over Indonesia. While the commanding pilot had permission to nap once the plane reached cruising altitude, he woke up to find that his copilot had also dozed off. The two were asleep for about thirty minutes with more than 150 passengers and crew on board and while at approximately 36,000 feet altitude. The plane had veered off course, but thankfully the plane still arrived at its destination safely. Human pilots may snooze mid-flight, but we can rest assured that God never falls asleep. (Nancy Gavilanes, Our Daily Bread, 21 November 2025)
All adult male Israelites were to come to the temple every year to observe three national feasts (Deuteronomy 16:16). The journey was a perilous one, with travelers vulnerable to the treacherous mountain terrain, weather, wild animals, and robbers. As they journeyed into Jerusalem, the travelers sang from an anthology of fifteen “Pilgrim Psalms” or “Songs of Ascents” and Psalm 121, often referred to as “The Traveler’s Psalm,” is one such song. It acknowledges the Israelites’ safety concerns and highlights God’s protection of them. (Insight, Our Daily Bread, 21 November 2025)
The phrase, “He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep”, from Psalm 121:4 is one of those phrases in the Bible that remains etched in my memory from my Bible studies and from songs sang in the past although I tend to remember it as “neither sleep nor slumber”. It speaks of God’s protection over our lives akin to the hope and assurance given to Israelite pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem to celebrate the 3 annual festivals. It was not once in a lifetime but 3 times a year, which in today’s context symbolises our constant life’s journeys.
Our own lives may be fraught with risks and dangers. As we earn our living and accumulate savings for our future, there are people out there trying to scam us, to cheat us of our hard-earned cash. Worse there are spiritual forces trying to win over our hearts and minds to believe in things that compromise our faith like faith is man-made to just give some morality compass to humans. Or wrong ideas like heaven and hell and God and Satan are all created concepts for morality and ethics but they don’t actually exist. Nothing is going to happen after we die. We just vanish into nothingness. There is no life after death. So live life to the fullest and do what we think is best for ourselves now. There are forces constantly trying to draw us into the broad road that leads to destruction.
Like the Israelites travelling to Jerusalem, 3 times a year, we need to make that weekly journey to church to worship God with our fellow believers and rejuvenate our spiritual lives. At least keep our minds and hearts focussed on God and allow the Word to teach, encourage and strengthen our faith. Obey God’s Word and He will bring maturity to our spiritual lives.
Have a good weekend, everyone! Take care and may the LORD our God protect you and your loved ones always!
Ronnie's Thoughts 