Look Up Child!

It was a quiet morning in a town I visited recently. The part of town I was in at that time was surrounded by a number hills of different sizes and shapes. The air was cool, but my mind was busy with so many thoughts.

As I stood there, deep in my own thoughts, I looked up and saw the top of one of the hills, standing tall and peaceful—almost touching the sky. For a moment, my worries paused. I found myself wondering what it would feel like to stand up there, looking down instead of feeling tiny down here.

“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.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭121‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭(NKJV‬‬)

This verse has echoed in my spirit ever since that day. I’ve often wondered; was the Psalmist also surrounded by hills when he wrote those words? Was he tired? Was he afraid? Did he feel overwhelmed? It definitely seemed so.

Yet, in the midst of that moment, he looked up. Why? Not because the hills had the answers, but because beyond the hills was God the source of unshakable help.

As I stood still, I realized something simple but profound: we don’t look up because we want a change of view; we look up because we need a change of perspective.

Everything beneath us; worry, anxiety, limitations suddenly becomes smaller when we remember who is above us—God! God isn’t beneath the weight of our problems. He’s above them, reigning, ruling, and ever-ready to rescue.

“Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬ ‭(NKJV‬‬)

You know my favorite part of all this? Later that day, Lauren Daigle’s “Look Up Child” played through my earphones. I smiled. It felt like God had been orchestrating a reminder all along.

“Where are You now when darkness seems to win?” the lyrics asked. And I knew the answer. He’s right where He’s always been: Above, with eyes full of compassion and hands stretched to pull me up. 

So, this is for you, reader. Maybe you’ve been looking around too much. I’m sure you’re asking yourself the possibility of not looking at bills, at timelines, at disappointments, at heartbreaks, at rejections, at depressing comments. Maybe you’ve been looking down at your phone, your failures, your fears. But what if your breakthrough isn’t down or around, but above?

“But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head. I cried to the Lord with my voice, And He heard me from His holy hill. Selah”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ (‭NKJV‬‬)

Look up, child. Help is not lost. Hope is not far. He who made the heavens and formed the hills has not forgotten you. 

And when you finally lift your eyes, you’ll see not just the hilltops, but the God who made them.

Shalom!