I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from? Psalm 121:1
This is one of the Psalms that was used by pilgrims as they travelled to Jerusalem for the
religious festivals. The journey was long and dangerous with thieves and hijackers a
constant danger, especially at night. Sentries were placed on surrounding hills at night
and the picture we have here is of a pilgrim looking up to the hills before going to bed
and meditating on the thought : “Where does my help really come from?”
In a reference to this verse in his sermon The Reformation of Manners, John Wesley
suggests the following : “Deeply conscious therefore should every member of this society
be of his own foolishness, weakness, helplessness; continually hanging with his whole
soul upon Him who alone has wisdom and strength, with an unspeakable conviction that
‘the help which is done upon the earth, God doth it Himself.’ ”
We need help with everything, from keeping our cars going to filling in our income tax
returns, from doing our job properly to conducting our personal relationships. We need
help in our spiritual life, which can not only be difficult but dangerous! We need help,
and in every area sentries (i.e. others) are useful but like the Psalmist we must look
beyond them to the real source of strength: the loving, protecting, always awake Lord
who made the hills. We all need help and acknowledging this is not weakness, but
strength, and looking to God for that strength is the beginning (and the continuance) of
faith. Looking to God for strength in small things stands us in good stead for when the
big things come.
How good are you at asking for help, particularly in your spiritual pilgrimage? While
looking to the Lord for help, how do you feel about asking someone to watch over you
and hold you accountable to a ‘Sermon on the Mount lifestyle’? As you look to the Lord
for help ask Him who He wants you to help today.
Lo! To the hills I lift mine eye,
Thy promised aid I claim;
Father of mercies, glorify
Thy favourite Jesu’s name! (134)
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John Wesley (1703 - 1791)
Was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield. In contrast to Whitefield's Calvinism, Wesley embraced the Arminian doctrines that were dominant in the 18th-century Church of England. Methodism in both forms became a highly successful evangelical movement in Britain, which encouraged people to experience Jesus Christ personally.Wesley helped to organise and form societies of Christians throughout Great Britain, North America and Ireland as small groups that developed intensive, personal accountability, discipleship and religious instruction among members. His great contribution was to appoint itinerant, unordained preachers who travelled widely to evangelise and care for people in the societies. Under Wesley's direction, Methodists became leaders in many social issues of the day, including the prison reform and abolitionism movements.
John Wesley was an Anglican cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, with founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield. In contrast to George Whitefield's Calvinism (which later led to the forming of the Calvinistic Methodists), Wesley embraced Arminianism. Methodism in both forms was a highly successful evangelical movement in the United Kingdom, which encouraged people to experience Christ personally.
Wesley believed that this doctrine should be constantly preached, especially among the people called Methodists. In fact, he contended that the purpose of the Methodist movement was to "spread scriptural holiness across England."
Throughout his life, Wesley remained within the Church of England and insisted that his movement was well within the bounds of the Anglican tradition. His maverick use of church policy put him at odds with many within the Church of England, though toward the end of his life he was widely respected.
John Wesley was the founder of the Methodist movement which grew from the 'Holy Club' of his Oxford friends into a great religious revival. An indefatigable traveller, preacher and writer, Wesley averaged 8,000 miles a year on horseback and gave 15 sermons a week. The reluctance of the Anglican clergy to lend him their pulpits led him to give some of his sermons in the open air, a decision which enabled him to reach those among the poorer sections of society who were not accustomed to going to church.