[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fclimb-higher":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fclimb-higher-surround":85},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":68,"date":69,"description":16,"extension":70,"image":71,"meta":72,"minRead":73,"navigation":74,"path":75,"postType":76,"publication":77,"publicationUrl":71,"seo":78,"stem":79,"topics":80,"__hash__":84},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fclimb-higher.md","Climb Higher",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":65},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,26,29,32,35,38,41,44,47,50,53,55,57,59,61,63],[14,15,16],"p",{},"Psalms 120 through 134 are known as Songs of Ascent. Jewish tradition connected these 15 chapters with the 15 steps of the temple where worshipers stood and sang; but there is another reason they are called Songs of Ascent. The Israelites sang these Psalms as they ascended the hills toward Jerusalem to attend festive occasions like Passover and Pentecost. Just as we enjoy favorite songs at Christmas and Easter, the Jews sang the Songs of Ascent as they climbed the hills toward the Holy City. When he was 12 years old, Jesus probably sang these Psalms as he traveled to Jerusalem with his family and friends for the Feast of Passover.",[14,18,19],{},"The Songs of Ascent inspire us to keep climbing higher in our own walk with the Lord. When we pursue God’s upward call, the Lord himself is our hiking partner.",[14,21,22],{},"The Source of Our Help * *",[14,24,25],{},"**",[14,27,28],{},"Psalm 121 begins with a question: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?” (v. 1). Snow-covered peaks look beautiful, but the ancient Hebrews believed there was something sinister about mountains. Pagan worshipers built shrines on the “high places,” engaging in immorality and idol worship there.",[14,30,31],{},"When we lift up our eyes, we see a variety of spiritual options that offer to make our journeys safer and better. But our help doesn’t come from the mountains; it comes from the one who *made *the mountains. “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (v. 2). If we think the next election will solve all our social problems, and a scientific breakthrough will fix everything that is wrong with our environment, and a pay raise will solve all our worries, we are not looking high enough.",[14,33,34],{},"The Lord’s Watchful Care",[14,36,37],{},"As you walk with God, “He will not let your foot slip” (v. 3). This doesn’t mean you will never stub a toe or twist an ankle, but the Lord will support you on the journey.",[14,39,40],{},"“He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (vv. 3-4). We miss a lot because we need to sleep. We’re basically unconscious about one-third of our lives, but the Lord never gets tired. Instead, “The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” (v. 8).",[14,42,43],{},"It’s interesting that God watches over “your coming and going.” He oversees your “coming”—when you are born, and when you launch a new career, move into a new home, start your freshman year of college, begin married life, or commence some other journey of faith. And he watches over your “going.” He is there when you conclude a significant season of life and you retire, graduate, become an empty-nester, or attend a loved one’s funeral. He is there when fortunes ebb and flow, and when friends come and go. He was there when your life began, and he will be there when your time on earth ends—and beyond.",[14,45,46],{},"William Faulkner described the difference between monuments and footprints: “A monument only says, ‘At least I got this far,’ while a footprint says, ‘This is where I was when I moved again.’”",[14,48,49],{},"Is the Lord calling you to climb higher? With him at your side, you don’t need be afraid to take another step.",[14,51,52],{},"*This is the first in a series of articles based on selected verses from the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134). *",[14,54,25],{},[14,56,25],{},[14,58,25],{},[14,60,25],{},[14,62,25],{},[14,64,25],{},{"title":9,"searchDepth":66,"depth":66,"links":67},2,[],"Consider This","2026-01-28","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fclimb-higher","column","Christian Standard",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Fclimb-higher",[81,82,83],"Biblical Theology","Holy Week and Resurrection","Spiritual Formation","JiiqufI0VOwO6GUmruntcR3HJa1c-FivBMLzUi4pr9A",[86,91],{"title":87,"path":88,"stem":89,"description":90,"children":-1},"Clean Hands","\u002Farticles\u002Fclean-hands","articles\u002Fclean-hands","You've heard of Murphy's Law: \"If anything can go wrong, it will.\" Parents soon discover another principle we could call \"Messy's Law\": \"If there's any way for a child to get dirty, he will.\"",{"title":92,"path":93,"stem":94,"description":95,"children":-1},"Climbing the Mountain Together: The Crucial Role of Older Believers in the Church’s Future","\u002Farticles\u002Fclimbing-the-mountain-together","articles\u002Fclimbing-the-mountain-together","As the church heads into the future, we may be overlooking one of our greatest resources: senior adults. In many congregations, people over age 50 are a sleeping giant—an untapped reservoir of ministry potential. Seasoned saints have wisdom, experience, spiritual gifts, time, and financial resources to share, but they struggle to find their place in God’s family. In some cases, they have been “put out to pasture” by leaders who overlook them or tacitly communicate that the church doesn’t care about them."]