The Lord, Your Keeper (Psalm 121:5-6)
- Betty Dodge
- Feb 2
- 3 min read
The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. ⁶The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. —Psalm 121:5-6
Psalm 121 helps us to know Yahweh. It takes us to the majestic and humbling heights of adoration of our Lord who is creator of heaven and earth, then expounds the intimacy of His perfect and personal care of each one who belongs to Him.
The Lord is your keeper
The Lord created the heavens and the earth. He created the sun and the moon. He is sovereign over the sun and the moon and will guard you—his faithful pilgrim exposed to these created elements—as you make your way to the Celestial City. The Lord will keep you. Don’t be afraid. He will keep you strong in joy, keep your eyes focused on Him, keep you devoted to Him, keep you loving Him, and keep you persevering in Him. He is the keeper and guardian of your soul—and gives His “own dear presence to cheer and to guide.” The promise of being kept by the Lord is echoed in John 17, where Jesus prayed for you in his high priestly prayer to the Father,
All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. (John 17:10-12a)
The Lord is your keeper. Don’t be afraid. Jesus declared, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28).
The Lord is your shade on your right hand
The right hand is frequently used in Scripture as a symbol of strength and honor, but also as a symbol of need. If you are poor and hungry or in need of healing, you will stretch out your hand for help. To reach out in need can make us feel exposed to the world’s judgment of our weakness and cause us shame. Our Keeper, the Lord Himself, knows this and gives himself as our shade, softening the glare, and giving us protection.
Does this bring to mind the fortress and refuge of the “shadow of the Almighty” in Psalm 91? Yahweh is intimately looking out for your every need, and He Himself is the protective shade from the blistering sun on your outstretched hand. The Lord is keeping you, restoring your strength, and providing for your need.
The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night
There are different ways of looking at the protection promised in this verse. You may think of it literally, as protection from physical dangers in the bright sun and in the dark of night. The psalmist could also be referring figuratively to those things that can draw our hearts away from pure devotion and worship of the Lord. The sunshine of blessings and the nighttime of trials may seek to “strike” us and cause us to take our eyes off of the Lord, our Creator and Keeper. But we who belong to Him will be kept steady by Him in the light and the dark—He will cause us to persevere in Him every single moment of this life, under every sun and moon, day and night—from this time forth and forevermore.
For Reflection
What does this verse teach you about God?
How can knowing this verse help you fight the fight of faith?
Is the Lord your keeper? If not, today is the day to turn to Jesus and embrace Him as your Lord and Savior. Give yourself to Him to be kept by Him. He will hold you and keep you forever.
Betty Dodge is wife to Rick, a mom to adult children, and grandmother to seven. She is a Bible teacher for women and children. One of Betty's greatest joys is seeing God working in believers as they learn His Word and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
