Psalm 121:8

Psalm 121:8

Now and forevermore

We’re already at the conclusion of this beautiful Psalm. The mountainous journey of the past few verses continues, with one final reassurance, “The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

A few of us gathered at the bedside of a dying, Christian man just a few days ago. We sang and prayed and read the Scriptures and my attention was caught by this verse. Those of us who are healthy and well associate these words with the business of life, as we dash from place to place and try to complete all the tasks we have planned to do in a day. My brother had long since passed this point, his “comings and goings” were over in an earthly sense but not in the context of God’s eternal plan. We were all conceived and born at the time God chose, He decided the moment we would enter this world, “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb …. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place.” Psalm 139:13-15. And so, our coming into this world was at an appointed time, we had no say in it, the Lord designated the time and place, and who our parents would be. 

In the same way, our “going” is pre-ordained. We have no control over when we leave this world any more than we controlled our arrival. “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:16. Psalm 139:18 goes on to say that “When I awake, I am still with You.” In other words, our “goings” are in God’s hands just as much as our “comings” and when we awake from the sleep of death, He will still be with us! And, as the concluding verse in Psalm 121 tells us, that awakening will be for both “now and forevermore.” Hallelujah!

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