Devotion

God is Like Home

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

When I am on the oval and in nature play, I can see the Adelaide Hills, rising up behind the city. The hills, while looking cold at the moment, are beautiful. For me, the hills are home and have been for the majority of my life. My home is my safe place – a place for me to replenish and relax. It’s a place where my family comes - a place where the people I love gather to eat, laugh, discuss and be. It’s a place of comfort - a place for trackie pants and ugg boots, sleep and vegetating. It’s a place where I love being me. It’s a place I long for and need.

In this psalm, the psalmist looks to the hills and reflects on the help God provides. He is never distant and never sleeping. Instead, he keeps watch over us and cares for us no matter what situation we find ourselves in. God is like home. He is a shelter, a safe place, a person that the people who love him gather around, a comfort. God is a place and person who loves us being us. 

To look to the hills in Jerusalem was to look to the temple mount, the place of God’s presence. The hills remind us that whether we are coming or going, staying or leaving, in a hospital or at home, God’s gracious presence is never far away. The help we need comes from the Lord, who made the hills and heaven and earth.

Lord and protector, keep me safe and guard my life. Bless my family, my friends, and those in hospital. Remind me of the home I have in You.  Watch over me as I come in and go out, now and forever. Amen.

Paraphrased by Jayne Zadow, using an LCA devotion