June 2024

"I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from hills? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains." - Psalm 121:1-2

The moment we say yes to God and no to the world, we might expect all our problems to disappear, our questions to be answered, and our troubles to vanish. We might think that nothing can disturb our peace with God and that our relationship with Jesus will always be smooth. We might believe that as Christians, we will never have accidents, arguments with our spouses, misunderstandings with others, or disobedient children. However, experiencing doubts, anger, loneliness, accidents, arguments, rebellious children, or misunderstandings does not mean our relationship with God is broken. These challenges do not mean we have turned away from God, nor that He has abandoned us for someone more deserving. Instead, they are a part of life, and our faith in God helps us navigate these difficulties, knowing He is always with us, even in our struggles. Looking to the hills for help leads to disappointment. Despite their beauty and strength, they are just hills. Their promises of safety are false, and their priests and priestesses mislead us.

As Jeremiah said, “Truly the hills are a delusion, the orgies on the mountains” (Jeremiah 3:23 RSV).

Psalm 121 tells us not to worship nature or rely on stars and flowers. Instead, it directs us to look to the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Help comes from the Creator, not from creation. The Creator is always awake and never sleeps, unlike Baal, who needed to be woken up by priests. The Creator is with us at all times, guarding our beginnings and endings, and is with us on our journey.

Paul wrote, “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; He’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; He’ll always be there to help you come through it” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Blessings,

Pastor Choi