The Lord’s Keeping

Psalm 121 is known as one of the “Songs of Ascent,” thought to be sung by pilgrims, perhaps during the difficult journey to Jerusalem. As the psalmist begins his journey, he affirms the constant, loving protection of God. The Hebrew word shamar appears six times in this short psalm. English translations vary, but in the NRSV version, in each instance it is translated as “keep”—“he who keeps you will not slumber; he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep; the Lord is your keeper; the Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life; the Lord will keep your going out and your coming in.”

The priestly blessing In Numbers 6:24 calls on the Lord “to bless you and keep you.” What is the difference? To bless someone does not necessarily require proximity, but to “keep” someone denotes actual presence, a physical closeness. A gatekeeper stands at the gate. A groundskeeper physically works the land. A goalkeeper stands in the goal. A beekeeper maintains the beehive. Being a “keeper” is not something that’s done from afar; it requires closeness.  

In the same way, God our Keeper draws near to us. What is required of us is to trust in God’s invisible embrace and turn away from our prideful tendency towards self-reliance. To not be our own help, but to trust that our “help comes from the Lord,” even if we cannot see it. To trust that the Lord’s keeping stays with us in every place and every time: all our comings and goings, now and forever. There is not a moment, in this life or the next, when we are not under the loving, steadfast, proximate care of God.  

Monica Coakley is an Assisting Priest at Luminous Parish in Franklin, TN and also provides pastoral care to men on Tennessee’s death row.  She lives with her family on a small farm and hoards books and yarn.