Psalm 121 — I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes unto the Hills (KJV)

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.

The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Amen.

— Psalm 121 (KJV)

About This Prayer

Psalm 121 is one of the "Songs of Ascents," sung by pilgrims walking the dangerous hill roads up to Jerusalem for the great feasts. The traveler looks at the hills — where bandits and hard climbs waited — and asks the honest question, "where does my help come from?" The answer arrives at once: from the Maker of heaven and earth, a keeper who never sleeps, never looks away, and watches over every departure and every homecoming. For thousands of years it has been the psalm of people setting out.

When to Pray This

Pray Psalm 121 before a journey — a trip, a move, a deployment, a child leaving for college — or at night when you need to remember that God stays awake so you can rest. It is also a beloved psalm to read at bedsides and farewells.