A Riverfire Meditation on Hope Amidst Chaos in Psalm 121

by James Harvey

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. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. (Psalm 121:1-5 ESV)

When Ruth got up to go back to work, Boaz ordered his servants, “Let her glean where there’s still plenty of grain on the ground. Make it easy for her. Better yet, pull some of the good stuff out and leave it for her to glean. Give her special treatment.” (Ruth 2:15-16 MSG)

If we let it, the world will constantly drag us down. The world knows how to build, develop, grow, adapt, and advance. But the world doesn’t know how to give peace or comfort. The world doesn’t know how to encourage or bless. The world has no power to forgive or heal or redeem.

The trials and tribulations of this world, the fear and chaos of the times in which we live… they have power to keep our sights on the road right in front of us. We can live in fear, or we can fly in freedom. We can try to predict what will happen, or we can trust the Lord. We can be buried alive by all the destruction, or we can meditate on Jesus’ Resurrection.

When I asked for my Riverfire meditation of the week, I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Lift up your eyes.”

These are times to lift up our eyes and set our sights on Jesus Christ, the Author & Finisher of our Faith. These times call for extraordinary faith, which we cannot create or cultivate on our own. Faith is a gift from Father Yahweh. We can participate in faith, we can ask for more faith, we can choose faith over fear. But faith is a collaborative, lifelong project with the Holy Spirit.

As I prayed, I thought of Ruth. Talk about someone who needed help. Ruth fully devoted herself to her mother-in-law Naomi, but that didn’t mean everything was okay. As soon as they returned to Naomi’s homeland, Ruth had to go out into a neighbor’s grain fields as a beggar-gatherer, just gathering enough grain for the day to make bread for two poor women with no inheritance, land, or family. And without getting too detailed, Ruth was in danger. Dark-minded men in the community could have taken advantage of her, stolen from her, hurt her, or worse.

What did God do? He saw Ruth and noticed her love for her dead husband’s mother. Two widows with no resources, no sustainability, no hope: living hand-to-mouth, day-to-day, trusting God for their next meal. He saw Ruth’s devotion to Naomi, and he intervened. The Holy Spirit drew Boaz’s attention to Ruth, and he favored her. Boaz provided for her in special ways without her even knowing it was happening. 

Ruth was faithful, and the Lord helped her.

“Lifting up our sight,” is something that the global missionary community needs to remember all the time. When you’re out in the Lord’s harvest fields, it doesn’t mean it’s harvest season. Very often, you’re out there working with people and doing what you can to make a difference in the world, and it feels like nothing works, no one cares, and you’re all alone.

It’s very easy to get burned out of ministry or wanna give up on life if you’re not paying attention, taking care of yourself, counting your blessings, and living uncompromisingly by Eternal Kingdom values.

That’s why we need to remember to lift up our sight. Remember that all we have is today, we are not promised tomorrow. Remember that the Lord is in control, and he calls us to trust him rather than fear the world. Remember that Jesus Christ came to set us free, and if the Son of Yahweh sets us free, we are truly free.

Remember that the Lord will always take care of his people, and he will always provide for what he calls us to do with him.

The Adversary wants our eyes downcast in the dust. He wants to snare our feet, trapping us in his lies. He wants us so disoriented by fear, worry, and frustration, that the loud noises keep us from hearing the still, quiet voice of the Holy Spirit.

Riverfire is about the Ezekiel 47 Life-Giving River. Remember what Jesus did with Ezekiel? The Messiah led the Prophet into the River. Ankle deep, then knee deep, then waist deep, then swimming in the deep waters. This River is massive. There’s room for all nations in this River. This Holy River is a spiritual refuge of peace, hope, rest, refreshment, renewal, restoration, vision, discernment, and blessing. 

The Lord will keep you. The Lord is our Keeper. Let’s trust him. When we are down, discouraged, afraid, struggling, frustrated, disoriented, depressed, or oppressed, or all of those combined… Let’s take a SELAH moment, a pause in the chaos, and lift up our eyes to behold our Messiah King arrayed in all his glory and splendor. Let’s take a short commercial break from all that the world sends our way to distract and drown us, and let’s choose to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the One Who Keeps Us, the One Who Will Return soon.

Lift up your sight. Rest. Breathe. Relax. And listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you right now.

He’s with us. He’s speaking now. Can you hear his voice? What is he saying to you?

Much love & grace. Shalom, Maranatha. 

___________

🔥 “It Is Well – An Interpretation” 🔥

There is a peace that does not ask permission from circumstances.

It does not wait for the storm to pass. It is not fragile. It is not shallow.

It flows… like a river cutting through rock, steady, unbothered, ancient.

And there is a sorrow that comes like waves heavy, relentless, crashing without warning.

And still…

somewhere deeper than the waves, deeper than the fear, deeper than what was lost

there is a voice.

Quiet. Unshaken. Unmoved.

“It is well. It is well with my soul.”

Not because everything is fixed. Not because nothing hurts. But because Jesus is here.

—

When the enemy presses in and the weight of the world feels personal like it chose you, singled you out

there is a Truth that stands like a shield in the dark:

You are seen. Fully. Completely. At your lowest.

And He did not turn away.

He stepped in. He took it on. He carried what you could not carry.

Not halfway. Not in part. All of it.

—

Your sin. Your shame. Your regret. Your hidden battles. Your worst moments.

Nailed. Finished. Buried. Undone. Overcome.

You do not carry ghosts that have already been laid to rest.

—

So when the storm rises again, and they will…

You do not speak from the surface. You sing from the depths.

From the place where the river still flows. From the place where the cross still stands. From the place where Jesus still reigns.

And with a steady soul… a fire that will not go out…

you say it again:

It is well. It is well. It is well with my soul.

___________

Riverfire Life is an attempt to help you experience a daily friendship with the Holy Spirit. These meditations and stories are written from the hearts & experiences of global missionaries. 

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[Image credit: digital art by Christopher Powers, fullofeyes.com]