Ryan's Ramblings

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
—Psalm 121:1–2, ESV

Recently, on a podcast, I heard a well-known Christian musician paraphrase Psalm 121 this way:

“I turn my eyes to the hills from which my help comes.”

It sounds familiar, spiritual, and even poetic. And certainly the hills—the beauty and majesty of God’s creation—can draw our eyes upward. But that is not actually what the psalm is saying.

In Psalm 121, the hills are not the source of help. Instead, the psalmist looks toward the hills and asks a question: “Where does my help come from?”

And then comes the answer: “My help comes from the Lord…”

In the ancient world, those hills were often lined with shrines, altars, and places devoted to false gods. Travelers passed them constantly. People looked there for protection, prosperity, guidance, fertility, rain, and victory.

The hills represented all the places people naturally turned for help. And honestly… not much has changed. We still look around for something to save us.

We look to doctors, experts, technology, social media, the news, information, influence, and opinions. We tell ourselves we just need more answers, more certainty, and more control.

And many of those things truly can help. Doctors help people. Counselors help people. Wisdom matters. But none of them were ever meant to be our source. Because eventually, every earthly source reaches its limit.

I was reminded of that again today as I sat beside a man in the final hours of his earthly life. Hospice had been called in, and the room held a holy quietness to it. And in moments like that, people stop looking to the hills.

No one is asking what social media thinks. No one is clinging to headlines or public opinion. No one is pretending the world has the answers.

He and his family were looking to the Lord. Because deep down, we know there comes a moment when no doctor, no professional, no system, and no amount of information can offer the kind of help we truly need. Only God can do that.

“My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Not the hills, not the noise, not the world—the Lord.

So today, lift your eyes a little higher. Beyond the fear, the endless opinions, and the exhausting search for security in things that cannot hold you. The world is full of voices promising help, but your soul was never meant to rest there.

Lift your eyes to the Lord Jesus.

He is where our help is found.