and he answers me.” (Psalm 120:1)
Psalms 120-134, the Psalms of Ascent, are a collection that were written to be sung as the people of Israel ‘ascended’ to Jerusalem for the various festivals during the year. They are pilgrim songs that set the needs and experiences of the travellers, the worshippers, within the covenant love of God.
They describe many troubles and challenges, many reasons for distress. In this opening psalm of the collection, the distress centres upon disordered relationships, on the hurtful use of words and the severe pain caused by deceitfulness and open hostility. And so the very first verse of the collection sets the tone for what follows in a remarkably apt way. It conveys a foundational truth for the whole journey the people were taking, for the various journeys that we all make in life, and for the journey that is life itself.
It is remarkable not so much in its content as in the way it is expressed. It is relief for profound distress couched in the plainest of words. Here is the bottom-line. There is no need to dress it up nor to double-down on imagery and word-play (as helpful as they can be). If we ask to be given it straight, here it is: “I call on the LORD in my distress and he answers me.”
There is no ladder to climb, no sophistication to aspire to, no formality of approach necessary. Simply calling upon, crying to, the LORD - the God who is sufficient and all we will ever need. The God who is willing and able, ever attentive to his people. The God who in covenant-love is committed to both hear us and help us. The seal of that love was the giving of his own Son to the death of the cross in our place - and so he “will not say thee nay.”
Some translations express this verse in the past tense (I called…he answered) but even then the reality is always present and ongoing, because that is what his love is like, that is what his promise means when he says “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
These honest, simple words are a testimony that glorify the LORD. And there are times when reading words such as these feels like it's the first time - in all their bright and compact clarity they penetrate the heart to lift and sustain it, as the LORD himself breathes in and through them.
Whatever our present distress, be it the current crisis or any other heaviness and anguish, the LORD hears us and the LORD will answer. Every step of our journey can be taken in this confidence.
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Come, my soul, thy suit prepare,
Jesus loves to answer prayer;
He Himself has bid thee pray,
Therefore will not say thee nay.
Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace and power are such,
None can ever ask too much.
With my burden I begin:
Lord, remove this load of sin;
Let Thy blood, for sinners spilt,
Set my conscience free from guilt.
Lord, I come to Thee for rest;
Take possession of my breast;
There Thy blood-bought right maintain,
And without a rival reign.
While I am a pilgrim here,
Let Thy love my spirit cheer;
As my Guide, my Guard, my Friend,
Lead me to my journey's end.
Show me what I have to do;
Every hour my strength renew:
Let me live a life of faith;
Let me die Thy people's death.
Take possession of my breast;
There Thy blood-bought right maintain,
And without a rival reign.
While I am a pilgrim here,
Let Thy love my spirit cheer;
As my Guide, my Guard, my Friend,
Lead me to my journey's end.
Show me what I have to do;
Every hour my strength renew:
Let me live a life of faith;
Let me die Thy people's death.
(John Newton, 1725-1807)
