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. – Psalm 121:1-2
There is snow this morning on the low mountain range west of our home. Those mountains are referred to as the Callahans, and they are a popular challenge for rock climbers, hikers, birdwatchers, and “mudders” (those with four-wheel drive who delight in covering their vehicles in mud). In the late spring, you can see touches of white on the mountains where wild dogwood blooms, and often you can see a rain or hail storm approaching from over the range. Some bare areas testify to the clear cutting of loggers, who haul out the timber. Other spots show signs of new growth, replanted by the company who harvested the last cut. And the hills create some very beautiful sunsets if the clouds sit on them just right.
As my husband and I return from our morning walk, we can plainly see those beautiful mountains when the fog is not too heavy. I marvel at them; so still, so stable, and so ancient. They look majestic and powerful. However, no matter how much I call on them when I am in trouble, they cannot help me. My help cometh from the Lord, which made them.
The Callahan Mountains are silent. They do not move or speak, and they have no life outside of the vegetation that grows in their soil. If I needed a hiding place, I suppose I might find a cave or crevice that could serve as a shelter. I could even live, for a time, off the wild blackberries and springs of water, and (if I could catch one!) there would be quail, pheasants, and other animals to provide food. But the mountains will never be able to really help me.
Those mountains remind me each morning that my help comes from the Lord. When I see them, I often rehearse to myself the verses from Psalm 121. I like to say to myself, I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills. My help does not come from the hills; it comes from the God who put those hills there for all of us to enjoy.
God is a refuge, our help, our all in all. Nothing else and no one else can fill that place in our lives. God is eternal and faithful. We can put our trust in Him.