Unto The Hills

I lift up my eyes unto the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1–2 RSV

Israel, the nation in which the Bible was written, is a very “hilly” country. There are mountains and hills everywhere. In fact, the Bible speaks of going “up to Jerusalem,” which is “a city set on a hill.” Throughout Scripture, there are references to these hills and mountains, and encouragement to the Israelites to “look up” to the hills and to look up to heaven.

The disciples looked and saw the resurrected Christ “ascending” to His Father in heaven. We are told that when Jesus returns, He will come in the clouds and we will see Him come just as He left us, from the sky. Looking upward takes the attention of men and women off of their earthly circumstances. It changes their perspective.

If you have ever flown in an airplane, you know that your perspective of what is on the ground is far different from what it was when you were on the ground. Pictures of the earth that have been taken from the moon and from space show an earth that looks much different from our awareness of the planet while we are on it. This is the kind of perspective God wants to give us of ourselves. As we look unto God instead of at ourselves and our circumstances, our perspectives change.

Do not be bogged down in the circumstances of life. Look upward for the guidance of Christ. Keep your eyes upon the eastern sky. “Lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28)!

Our Father and our God, Master of the hills, I bring You my heart and my life. I look up to You for help in living my life as You would have me live it. I know You are the source of inspiration and enthusiasm for life. I love You, Father. Let Jesus find me watching when He returns. Amen.

Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).