Where Does My Help Come From?

A Soul-Centered Reflection on Psalm 121:1–8

By Chris N. Braza

Soul Care International Foundation, Inc.

Brazaar CHAIN

There are moments when the soul grows tired before the body does.

Moments when questions whisper louder than answers, and the road ahead feels longer than our strength can carry. It is in those moments that Psalm 121 speaks—not as poetry alone, but as a lifeline.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills—

where does my help come from?” (Psalm 121:1)

This is not the question of a weak person.

This is the honest cry of a pilgrim.

When the Soul Looks Up

The psalmist does not deny fear, fatigue, or uncertainty. He simply refuses to let them have the final word. He lifts his eyes. Not because the hills hold the answer—but because looking up reminds the soul where help does not come from.

Not from position.

Not from power.

Not from people.

“My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.” (v.2)

This is soul-care theology at its purest: help rooted not in circumstance, but in Creator. The One who made heaven and earth is not distant from your struggle—He is deeply invested in it.

The God Who Does Not Doze

One of the quiet fears of the human heart is abandonment—the thought that God may be attentive to others but inattentive to us.

Psalm 121 dismantles that fear completely.

“He who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, He who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.” (vv.3–4)

People get tired. Systems fail. Leaders rest. But God does not drift into distraction. He does not close His eyes when your nights grow long. He is fully awake to your pain, your prayers, and your process.

This is not a careless God.

This is a watchful God.

Covered, Not Exposed

“The Lord watches over you—

the Lord is your shade at your right hand.” (v.5)

Shade is protection. Shade is relief. Shade is mercy in the heat of life’s harshest seasons.

The psalmist reminds us: you are not exposed. You are not unguarded. You are not alone in the sun or in the storm. God positions Himself close—at your right hand—not observing from afar, but covering you personally.

Guarded in Every Direction

“The Lord will keep you from all harm—

He will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore.” (vv.7–8)

This does not promise a life without pain.

It promises a life never without God.

Your coming. Your going.

Your beginnings. Your endings.

Your now. Your forever.

God’s care is not seasonal. It is covenantal.

A Word for the Weary Soul

Psalm 121 is not just a song for travelers—it is a declaration for every soul on a journey. If today you are tired, unsure, or quietly struggling, hear this truth clearly:

Your help is not delayed.

Your life is not overlooked.

Your soul is not forgotten.

Lift your eyes—not to escape reality, but to remember who holds it.

And rest in this assurance:

The One who keeps you… will keep you still.

— Chris N. Braza

Soul Care International Foundation, Inc.