From Psalm 121:1-2 we read, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”
LOOK UP… THEN LOOK CLOSER! I heard about a man who walked outside one morning and noticed his neighbor standing in the yard staring straight up into the sky. Naturally, he walked over and looked up too. A few moments later, another neighbor came by, saw both men looking up, and joined them. Before long, several people were gathered in the yard staring into the heavens. Finally, someone asked, “What are we looking at?” The first man said, “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve got a crick in my neck!” It’s funny how quickly we will look up simply because everyone else is looking up. But, in our scripture for today, David had a far better reason for lifting his eyes. He was facing trouble, surrounded by uncertainty, and in need of help. So he said, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.”
Now David was not saying that his help came from the hills. He immediately explained, “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.” David looked beyond the hills to the God who created them. The hills may have been large, but his God was larger. The problem may have been high, but his Help was higher.
Sometimes we become so focused on what is against us that we fail to notice the God who is above us. We stare at the problem, study the problem, talk about the problem, lose sleep over the problem, and then wonder why we feel discouraged. David says, “Look up!” But after we look up to the Lord, we also need to look a little closer, because God’s answer may come in a way we never expected.
THE SPIDER THAT SAVED A SOLDIER. I read a story about how a U.S. Marine in World War II became separated from his unit during a heated battle on Okinawa. Alone and surrounded by enemy soldiers, he scrambled up into a small cave in the hills. He knew it was only a matter of time before the enemy searched every cave. Humanly speaking, there was no way out. As he waited, he later told how he prayed a simple prayer, “Lord, if it be Your will, please protect me. Whatever Your will, I love You and trust You.” Then he said he noticed a spider crawling across the entrance of the cave. It began spinning a web. He said, “I thought to myself, ‘Lord, what I need is a brick wall, and You’ve sent me a spider web?’” Soon the enemy soldiers reached his cave. They glanced toward the entrance, saw the undisturbed web stretched across the opening, assumed no one could possibly be inside, and walked away without ever looking in. WOW! After they were gone, the Marine prayed, “Lord, forgive me. I forgot that with You, a spider’s web can be as strong as a brick wall.” The story reminds me of David’s words in our verses for today: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” That Marine literally found refuge in the hills. But David quickly reminds us that our confidence isn’t in the hills themselves. “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.” God simply chose to use a spider and its web as His way of protecting that soldier. Friend, here’s the lesson: Look up… then look closer. Look up because your help comes from the Lord, not from your circumstances, your strength, or your own abilities. Then look closer, because God’s answer may already be right in front of you. It may not look like a miracle. It may look like an unexpected conversation, a closed door, an encouraging verse, a faithful friend, or even a spider’s web. We often miss God’s provision because we’re expecting Him to build a brick wall, while He’s quietly weaving a web.
Throughout the Bible, God delighted in using what seemed small and insignificant. A shepherd’s sling defeated a giant. Five loaves and two fish fed thousands. A shepherd’s rod parted the Red Sea. Little is much when God is in it.
WHAT ABOUT YOU? Are you facing something today that seems impossible? Then remember David’s words: “My help cometh from the LORD.” Lift up your eyes to Him, then look a little closer at what He is already doing. The answer may not look like the answer you were expecting, but God’s ways are always perfect. The God who used a spider’s web to protect one frightened soldier is still working in unexpected ways today. So before you conclude that God hasn’t answered your prayer… look up… then look closer. Think it over…🙏