The One Who Guards You

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore."
(Psalm 121)


Psalm 121 is immersed in the language of God's care for us. The words keep and preserve are used six times and are virtually interchangeable.

The Hebrew word for preserve is shamar (shah-mar) meaning, "to guard, keep, protect, watch over, care for." A derivative of shamar is shomer meaning, "guardian". The Lord is called "shomer Yisrael", "One who guards Israel".

The Guardian of Israel. That is literal. Our Jewish brothers and sisters are God's covenant people. But, remember, we are grafted in as the children of Israel, so this concept applies to us as well.

I'm not a Hebrew scholar, but I think it is safe to say, "He is my shomer Nan", the "One who guards Nan." Place your name there. Can you feel the love?

Wow! He is MY guardian, my keeper, my preserver.

And...He never sleeps nor slumbers.

Jude 24 reads, "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the Presence of His glory with exceeding joy..."

He promises to KEEP us, PRESERVE us and GUARD us until that glorious day when we will be presented before our King.

Bless You, Lord! How can we fathom the depth of Your love for us? How can we understand what it means to be kept by You? Help us, Lord. Open our eyes to see Your truth. Soften our hearts to receive Your love. You, Lord - the Guardian of Israel - guard, protect and preserve us, too. Thank You, Father.