Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Psalm 121                          

Psalm 121

I love Psalm 121. I think it grew on me during my days of hospice chaplaincy, which I loved. It became a regular part of my committal services at the cemetery. It is simply beautiful and gives great comfort to those whose temporary separation from their loved ones is, at that time, staring them in the face. There is one line in the psalm that always catches my attention. Here it is:

“ …. He who keeps you will not slumber” (v. 3b).

While this isn’t a psalm written specifically for our modern-day burials, it does speak powerfully, the entire psalm, to both those who have fallen asleep in Christ and those who remain. And I take the promise above to pertain to both. The departed believer is most certainly in the care of the One who is always aware. But so are we who are still bound to earth. And remember to carry that promise today for yourselves and your families, even when by God’s grace, everyone around you is healthy. 

“Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber or sleep” (v. 4).