Music
Conductors: Mack Wilberg
Organist: Linda Margetts
Announcer: Derrick Porter
“Let All The World In Every Corner Sing”
Music: Ryan Murphy
Lyrics: George Herbert
“I Know That My Savior Loves Me”
Music: Tami Jeppson Creamer
Lyrics: Tami Jeppson Creamer and Derena Bell
Arrangement: Ryan Murphy
“Trumpet Voluntary” (Organ Solo)
Music: John Stanley
“Softly and Tenderly”
Music and Lyrics: Will L. Thompson
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg
“Lift Thine Eyes” from Elijah
Music: Felix Mendelssohn
Lyrics: Based on Psalm 121
“He, Watching Over Israel”
Music: Felix Mendelssohn
Lyrics: Based on Psalm 121
“O Come Ye Nations of the Earth”
Music: Germany Hymn Tune
Lyrics: David Warner
Arrangement: Mack Wilberg
The Spoken Word
Lift Up Our Eyes
September 8, 2024
Written By Lloyd Newell
Delivered By Derrick Porter
The book of Psalms in the Bible is a collection
of sacred poems of praise and prayer
to God. Many were once set to music; and
today, musicians around the world are
drawn to the psalms for inspiration. So, in a
sense, the book of Psalms is like an ancient
hymnbook, filled with worshipful devotion
to the Most High.
One psalm that has inspired multiple
musical settings contains the promise
that God doesn’t slumber or sleep as He
watches over us.1 In fact, His tender care is
so constant that it’s easy to miss if we’re not
looking for it. And so, the psalmist declares:
“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from
whence cometh my help. My help cometh
from the Lord, which made heaven and
earth.”2
Just as God is watching over us, we can
lift up our eyes toward Him. As we do, we’ll
begin to see God’s hand, His divine signature,
in our lives. Often, lifting up our eyes
means looking above and beyond worldly
things toward heavenly things. Other times,
it means looking back with faith on a time
of trouble and heartache, when perhaps it
felt like God wasn’t aware of us. But those
who trust God’s goodness and mercy, even
when they can’t see or feel it clearly, will get
to the other side of their sorrow and find
joy.
That’s what happened for a young
mother when her marriage fell apart.
Suddenly she was a single mother of three
young children, and her worries and burdens
were nearly overwhelming at times.
But she clung to her faith and kept going,
one day at a time. And as she lifted her
eyes heavenward, she found the Lord was
there, offering comfort and strength. Over
time the pain softened, the burdens seemed
a little lighter. Eventually, she felt peace
and healing and even happiness again. Her
trust in God and His goodness carried her
through.
Lifting up our eyes, as the psalmist counseled,
is a way to acknowledge the source of
our help. He who “made heaven and earth”3
can surely make our way forward. He who
is almighty can surely give us strength. We
just need to look for Him and lift up our
eyes.
1. See Psalm 121:3–4.
2. Psalm 121:1–2.
3. Psalm 121:2.