Daily Devotion

Voice:

Today is Monday, 23rd of March. We start by praying the Collect for Purity:

Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open, 
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden: 
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, 
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name; 
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The appointed Psalm for today is Psalm 121.

 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
⁸ The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and shall be forever. Amen.

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We will reflect on Psalm 121 today.

Psalm 121 belongs to a group of fifteen psalms—Psalms 120 to 134—known as the Songs of Ascent. These were sung by pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem during the major feasts. Jerusalem is set on a hill, so the journey was always an ascent—both physical and spiritual.

Along the way, travellers faced real dangers.

A person walking on uneven ground could easily step on a loose stone and sprain an ankle. Under the relentless sun, one might faint from heat. And over long distances, with fatigue and anxiety, a traveller could become emotionally distressed—what ancient writers sometimes described as moonstroke.

So what is this psalm saying?

Is it promising that believers will never sprain an ankle, never collapse from exhaustion, never struggle emotionally?

Or is it saying something deeper?

The psalmist begins with a question:

“I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?”

Do our eyes look to the hills for help?

The hills are majestic. Along these routes, there were shrines, altars, and religious practices. For the pilgrim, they represented possible sources of protection and blessing.

In our modern journey, the “hills” take different forms— success, wealth, influence, ideologies, self-reliance.

It is easy to look to these things and quietly trust in what the world offers.

But the psalmist answers:

“My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.”

Not from the hills—but from the One who made the hills.

A look to the hills will always end in disappointment. For all their beauty and strength, they are still only part of creation. As Jeremiah 3:23 says:

“Truly the hills are a delusion…”

Psalm 121 rejects a religion of nature, a trust in created things.
Instead, it calls us to place our confidence in the Creator.

And then comes the promise:

“The Lord will keep you from all evil.”

What does this mean?

It does not mean we will never suffer harm. The Bible is deeply honest about the realities of life. Faith does not exempt us from pain, illness, or hardship.

Rather, it means this:

No suffering will have ultimate power over us.
No trial can separate us from God’s purposes for us.

We are not promised the absence of trouble— we are promised preservation within it.

Think of it this way:

All the water in the ocean cannot sink a ship— unless it gets inside.

In the same way, all the troubles of the world cannot destroy us—
unless they take root within us.

That is the promise of Psalm 121:

God guards you from every evil.

Not by removing every danger from your path—
but by keeping your soul secure in Him.

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🌿 Thought for Lent

Today, will you reaffirm your trust in the Lord who can guard you from every evil?

Note: This reflection is inspired from Eugene Petersen’s book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society.

Collect

We pray the Lord’s Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, 
hallowed be your name, 
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin 
against us.
Lead us not into temptation 
but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and 
the glory are yours
now and forever. Amen.

Be blessed by this beautiful rendition of the classic hymn, A Mighty Fortress

A mighty Fortress is our God,
A Bulwark never failing;
Our Helper He amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe
Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great,
And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth His Name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That Word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through Him who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still,
His Kingdom is forever.

Link to today’s Morning Office

About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen.

Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.

For feedback, please write to us at terrywong@anglican.org.sg