As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people from this time forth and forevermore.
– Psalm 125:2
What an awesome image. Like, just think about this. In your life as the mountains surround Jerusalem, just picture mountains surrounding the city of Jerusalem. The Psalmist says, “So the Lord surrounds his people”.
Psalm 125:2 Portrays God’s Unfailing Protection for His People
Picture your life, my life today as the people of God, as people who’ve trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and restoration to God. We are surrounded by God. Not mountains. We’re surrounded by God himself. He surrounds us today from this time forth and forevermore. Just let that soak in today, right now. Wherever you work, wherever you go to school, wherever you live, whatever you’re walking through, you’re surrounded by God himself. God with you, and around you, surrounding you. Just picture that. He’s your protector. God is your guard.
He’s your guide. God’s your security. He’s your stability. He’s your provider in every way you need, surrounding you with everything you need from his hand, from himself. From this time forth today and tomorrow and the next day and forever more, you will always, always be surrounded. So when you get that cancer diagnosis, when tragedy strikes, when your heart breaks, when you lose someone you love, when you walk through temptation, when you walk through trial at every moment, forever and ever, you will always be surrounded by God.
Psalm 125:2 Is a Promise of Eternal Security
Oh God, I pray that over people who are listening to this right now. They would know that in Jesus, they are surrounded by you. I pray especially for those who are walking through circumstances like I just mentioned. For those who’ve lost someone they love, for those who’ve received a diagnosis. For those who are struggling physically, emotionally, spiritually, intellectually. God, for those who are struggling at work, for those who are struggling in their family, marriage or with kids or with parents. Lord, I pray that right now they would know they’re surrounded by you and pray they would live in that security today with you as their guard and their guide and their provider and protector.
God, we pray that you’d help us to remember this on days when we feel alone, we feel weak, when we feel vulnerable, that we would know we are not alone. We are not weak, and we are not ultimately vulnerable. We’re surrounded by you and will be for all of eternity. All glory be to your name, oh God, the one who surrounds us.
Praying for the Ubi People
God, we pray for the spread of your surrounding grace, goodness, and glory to all the peoples of the earth, to the Ubi people of Chad. Lord, we pray that this small people group would be reached in the northern part of Chad with the gospel that they would know you’re surrounding grace in Jesus.
God, we pray for this, for the Ubi people of Chad, for all the peoples of the world, and God, we pray for missionaries, for workers who are trying to spread the gospel in a hard, difficult, dangerous places in the world. For our brothers and sisters in hard and difficult, dangerous places in the world, they would know they’re surrounded by you. They would feel, sense, and trust in your surrounding grace and strength, power and presence with them and for them and around them. We pray all of this in light of your word in Psalm 1-25, verse two. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
