The author of Psalms 121 may have been traveling,
most likely towards Jerusalem, to be with other believers
and to worship.
And depending where he came from, this journey
may have been long, exhausting and perilous.
And yet, he found renewed strength and courage
to continue when he saw a glimpse of the hills of Jerusalem.
The hills served as a waypoint to his journey.
As long as he focuses on the waypoint,
he knows he's on the right track.
Though tired, he gathered his strength
to go on. And the assurance of God's protection gave him
the courage to face his fears and to continue the
journey.
The modern day Jerusalem might look
very different from what it may have been
during the days of this psalmist. But the hills of Jerusalem
(see picture) continue
to draw travelers from around the world -- to be reminded
of God's ever presence, who "never slumber nor sleep"
in "thy going out and thy coming in".
Mount Sinai was also an important waypoint. It was considered the Mountain of God.Exodus 3:1 This is where Moses first encountered God. And after the Israelites were freed and left Egypt, they camped at Mt. Sanai, where God made a covenant with them. This is also where God gave the ten commandments.Exodus 19-20 Thus Mt. Sinai is an important waypoint on the journey of Israelites.
Susan and I were blessed to have visited the holy land in 2022. And I had the opportunity to join a group to trek to the summit of Mt. Sinai. To avoid heat, the group started to trek from the foot of Mt. Sinai at 2:00 in early dawn. The climb to the summit was dark; only lit by our flashlights. Our local Bedouin guide helped us safely stay on the trail. Although the climb to the summit was only about 5 km, it was a continous climb. At about the last third of the way, the climb became steeper over 750 rough rocky steps. I have to stop a few times to catch my breath, and gave my strained knees and sore feet few minutes of rest. But as I look up towards the summit, I felt energized to keep going. And no, I did not encounter any burning bush, or lightning and thunder, or low clouds (as Moses have encountered). Instead, our group climbed under a beautiful clear starry night sky, and when we reached the summit, we were greeted by a magnificent sunrise (see picture below).
