Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills—
from where will 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.
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.
I have a weak spot for schmaltzy showbiz.
Friends of mine are amazed at my level of tolerance for cheesiness in its many forms, mostly TV. I have days’ worth of 1970s and ‘80s TV variety shows at the ready on DVD for those who doubt.
With that in mind, I always saved some time on Labor Day weekend to watch parts of the Jerry Lewis Telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Oh yes, Jerry Lewis – who died in 2017 – could be an off-the-charts cornball.
But he also had a big heart. From 1952 until 2010, his telethons raised more than $2.6 billion for MDA. Scientists funded by MDA discovered the causes for most of the diseases in the program, and developed treatments, therapy and standards of care that have let those with various forms of the disease live longer and grow stronger. More than 200 research and treatment facilities have been built with money raised by Jerry Lewis’ telethon.
One part of the telethon I always tried to watch was Lewis’ finale, when he would sing the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” from the musical “Carousel,” which had become his signature signoff. Its lyrics:
When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of a storm
There's a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
It seems like the words to Psalm 121 make an easy transition into these lyrics: “My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. He will not let your feet go out from under you. He Who watches over you will not sleep.”
During these continuously trying times, whether the words come from a Psalm or from the lyrics of a 20th-century Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, we need to remember that in our darkest hours that with Someone there to guide us and hope in our hearts, we’re never walking alone.
Prayer for Reflection
Dear Lord, sometimes we need to be reminded in the darkness of our lives that we never walk alone as long as You are with us, guiding our steps into the uncertainty. Amen.
