Psalm 125:1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time on and forevermore. 3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous might not stretch out their hands to do wrong. 4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts. 5 But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways the Lord will lead away with evildoers. Peace be upon Israel!
Mountains have always fascinated me. The first "mountain" in my life was Mt. Wesley. While that may make some of you laugh, as this is a hill in the Texas Hill Country, for a boy from Kingsville, it was and still is, a real treat. When I first saw it, it was far from the town of Kerrville. Getting to it was an adventure as was spending a week on it. At Vesper Point one could see a distant town and a few scattered homes, and of course, the drive-in theatre, which provided a secondary treat in trying to decipher dialogue or identification of the movie. Years later I would see the true mountains of Monterrey, Mexico, and later still, the Rockies in Colorado. There is, pardon the word, a certain majesty with mountains. And as the Psalmist came to know Mt. Zion, he also knew there was a certain strength and certainty to it as there is with all mountains. Jesus would tease this when He said if we had the faith the size of a mustard seed we could tell the mountain to move. Today's passage says that when we trust the Lord our faith will not waver, we will stand strong for God stands with us. Verse two drives the point even further, as mountains surround Jerusalem so does God surround us. Then the prayer that closes out the passage, asking God to do good by the righteous, and to share justice with the unjust. He ends with asking for peace to be upon the people of God.
May our day be a mountain day in which our trust stays strong in the Lord come what may. If we stand with God, God will stand with us and there is no better winning combination for facing the joys and the challenges of the day.
PRAYER: Loving God, come and stand with me. I proclaim that my faith is mountain strong in You. Surround me and mine with that strength and peace. I pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
