Lent Devotional March 30, 2026

Scripture

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—  from where will my help come?2 My help comes from the Lord,  who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;  he who keeps you will not slumber.4 He who keeps Israel  will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;  the Lord is your shade at your right hand.6 The sun shall not strike you by day  nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;  he will keep your life.8 The Lord will keep  your going out and your coming in  from this time on and forevermore.

Devotion

The Rev. Dr. Wilbur C. Douglass III ’81

Last winter, I joined my friend on a one-week tour of the state and national parks near the Grand Canyon. We spent the last two days in Grand Canyon National Park. On the final day, our bus dropped us off along the trail of the South Rim, about three miles from our hotel. We began the hike back to our hotel, but I slowly drifted behind the others.

Taking in the majestic, awe-inspiring sights along the trail, I realized that photobooks and verbal descriptions from previous travelers could never fully equate to what I was personally observing. Eventually, I found myself all alone. Even worse, I had become quite fatigued, with several miles still remaining on my trudge home.

Although all alone, I never felt lonely. The words of Psalm 121 could not have been more assuring for me as I continued my journey. “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” I was hiking through God’s creation, and God was my source of strength. I remembered then, and at all times, that even when all others leave me or forsake me, it is God alone who guides me and protects me. “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.”

Too often, we rely solely on ourselves to overcome the obstacles and challenges in our lives. We quickly forget that God is our constant source of strength. God created this world, and it is God who controls that which God created.

During this Lenten season we need to pause, reflect, and remember that we serve an awesome, loving, and omnipresent God. Our God protects us and guides us in our life’s journey, especially in our darkest and most challenging times. Although we will encounter and be surrounded by the world’s evil, we most certainly do not have to succumb to it. “The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.”

May this Lenten season serve as a sacred time of renewal and recommitment to our Sovereign Lord and Savior.

Prayer

Gracious God, You are our eternal Help and Strength. Renew our hearts, our spirits, and our devotion to You, allowing us to experience You in ways unknown. Guide us to a place of heightened revelation. We pray in the precious name of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.