I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
The hills to which the eyes are lifted are those on which heathen altar fires had been kindled. The question of whether help comes from those hills is answered in the negative, for help comes not from the hills themselves but from Jehovah, the Maker of heaven and earth named in the following verse. To lift up the eyes is to look beyond oneself to the Lord, placing reliance on God rather than on self-confidence. Lifting the eyes to God's hills turns the mind toward His wonderful works, so that through nature people learn divine truth, have their minds uplifted, and find rest.
The verse expresses confidence that help and protection come from God, and the surrounding mountains illustrate this by reminding of His creative power and care, by sheltering from enemies, and by providing a place to worship and praise Him without fear. Help is to be sought from the Lord and not from any human being, the whole soul can be entrusted to Him, and through Jesus Christ as Redeemer and Saviour a person can overcome. Recognizing this dependence for help and strength calls believers to be humble and to exercise living faith, and God will then work mightily among them. Ministers and conference presidents should learn to look directly to the Lord as the source of their help and strength, rather than relying on themselves or turning elsewhere.
The hills to which the eyes are lifted are those on which heathen altar fires had been kindled. The question of whether help comes from those hills is answered in the negative, for help comes not from the hills themselves but from Jehovah, the Maker of heaven and earth named in the following verse. To lift up the eyes is to look beyond oneself to the Lord, placing reliance on God rather than on self-confidence. Lifting the eyes to God's hills turns the mind toward His wonderful works, so that through nature people learn divine truth, have their minds uplifted, and find rest.
The verse expresses confidence that help and protection come from God, and the surrounding mountains illustrate this by reminding of His creative power and care, by sheltering from enemies, and by providing a place to worship and praise Him without fear. Help is to be sought from the Lord and not from any human being, the whole soul can be entrusted to Him, and through Jesus Christ as Redeemer and Saviour a person can overcome. Recognizing this dependence for help and strength calls believers to be humble and to exercise living faith, and God will then work mightily among them. Ministers and conference presidents should learn to look directly to the Lord as the source of their help and strength, rather than relying on themselves or turning elsewhere.