Well, today is Sunday - and as great as today is - tomorrow is Monday. How are we suppose to live the other six days of the week?

Down in that direction there is a stream that runs though a gully. For years I have been coming up here to that stream - wandering through the Redwood trees by the stream - spending time with God - praying and listening - time apart from everything else that happens in my life.

Sunday - should be like that. A time that we as a church - a community of faith - experience God together. Worshipping Him - hearing from Him - Fellowshipping together with Him - Time spent with God apart from anything else that goes on during the other 6 days of the week.

But tomorrow is Monday. And Monday is another work day - the housework is waiting - the same sicknesses - same struggles.

Where is God on Monday? I’d like to read for you Psalm 121.

The focus of Psalm 121 is on what happens after Sunday. Psalm 121 is a part of a section of the Book of Psalms called the Psalms of Ascent. Pilgrims would sing these Psalms as they traveled up the hill to the Temple in Jerusalem - there they would worship God - spend time apart with Him. In Psalm 121 the writer talks about what happens after this great religious experience. Its a reminder that God is still God on Monday.

At camp we talk about a “Mountain Top Experience” - kids who get away from everything that happens in their lives - all the junk at home. They go up to camp - meet new friends - have tons of fun - learn about God - make decisions for Christ - rededicate their lives. And then they go back to the “real world” and - like us - its hard to remember that God is still God - to remember what the mountain top experience was like.

Listen to Psalm 121 and think about Monday.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and for evermore.”

The Psalmist asks, When I’m back in the valley and looking up - where does my help come from? The answer, my help comes from the God who is the Creator - sovereign over all realms - over heaven and earth - my help comes from the one who is willing and able to help.

3 things to remember about God on Monday.

1. GOD PROTECTS US FROM OURSELVES

In 1982, “ABC Evening News” reported on an unusual work of modern art - a chair affixed to a shotgun. It was to be viewed by sitting in the chair and looking directly into the gunbarrel. The gun was loaded and set on a timer to fire at an undetermined moment within the next 100 years.

The amazing thing was that people waited in lines to sit and stare into the bullet’s path. They all knew the gun could go off at point-blank range at any moment, but they were gambling that the fatal blast wouldn’t happen during their minute in the chair.

We all do foolish stuff. Many of us would never dream of sitting in that chair. But, we all stumble in the foolishness of sin. We know that sin is destructive - but we still do it.

Psalm 121 verse 3 says - “He - God - will not let your foot be moved” - or slip - like on a banana peel of sin - your footing cannot be pushed out from underneath you by sin.

Psalm 121 says that God never sleeps - He doesn’t take coffee breaks - naps - he works 24 hours a day - not just 9 to 5. This doesn’t mean that God follows us around and keeps us from sinning. What it does mean is that God has spoken to us and is constantly speaking to us - to warn us of the dangers around us.

As we look to Him and understand His guidance and Word for our lives - we will know how to do right - and as we grow in our relationship with Him we will have greater power to choose what is right.

At work - discipline and guide our kids - talking to family and friends - service in Church and ministries - how to react - how to speak - God has spoken to us in His word and by the Holy Spirit is constantly speaking to us - guiding us.

2. GOD CARES FOR US IN THE WORST CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE

Flight 191 left Chicago - later it crashed with all 254 persons aboard. One Christian escaped death because an unexpected delay in New York had kept him from making his connection with Flight 191 in Chicago. Another Christian - the pastor of the Garden Grove Orthodox Presbyterian Church - a husband and a father of four children - late because his plane from Pennsylvania had been delayed - dashed through the terminal in Chicago and made his connection with Flight 191.

All of us can attest to the reality of this verse: “God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)

Theologically I can explain this. Practically - I really struggle with what happens in our lives. We live in a natural - sinful - world with hard circumstances and unanswered questions.

Thinking about Monday - and what we face when we go down from here - Psalm 121 says that God is our shade so that the sun will not smite us by day - and the moon by night. The sun still rises - and the moon still rises - the effects of living in this world still happen. But, God’s protection is complete in the worst circumstances of our lives. God promises His protection - not deliverance but protection - and in the worst that can happen - even death - He is there.

And, there are times when we need to be reminded of this. He is there - trust Him - He will not allow you to be destroyed.

3. GOD DELIVERS US FROM EVIL A while back - writing in Moody Monthly - Carl Amerding tells of his experience watching a wildcat in a zoo.

“As I stood there, an attendant entered the cage. He had nothing in his hands but a broom. Carefully closing the door, he proceeded to sweep the floor of the cage.” The worker had no weapon to ward off the attack by the beast. In fact, when he got to the corner of the cage where the wildcat was lying, he poked the animal with the broom. The wildcat hissed and then laid down in another corner of the cage.

Amerding remarked to the attendant, “You certainly are a brave man.”

“No, I ain’t brave,” he replied and continued to sweep.

“Well, then, that cat must be tame.”

“No, he ain’t tame.”

“If you aren’t brave and the wildcat isn’t tame, then I can’t understand why he doesn’t attack you.”

Amerding said the man laughed and replied, “Mister, he’s old - and he ain’t got no teeth.”

The Apostle Peter says, “Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8b). Well, Satan can prowl about - he can roar all he wants - he can desire to do all the evil to us he wants - because of Jesus’ victory on the cross Satan, sin, and death - the devil has no teeth!

Psalm 121 says (v. 7) “The Lord will protect you from evil; He will keep your soul.” We may feel like all hell is breaking lose - maybe it is - But, in Christ - God has already delivered us.

Ignace Jan Paderewski, the famous composer-pianist, was scheduled to perform at a great concert hall in America. It was one of those evenings to remember - black tuxedos - long evening dresses - a high-society extravaganza. Present in the audience that evening was a mother with her fidgety nine-year-old son. His mother was in hopes that her boy would be encouraged to practice the piano if he could just hear the immortal Paderewski at the keyboard. So - against his wishes - he had come.

As she turned to talk with friends, her son - who was really tired of sitting - slipped away from her, strangely drawn to the ebony concert grand Steinway and its leather tufted stool on this huge stage flooded with blinding lights. Without much notice from the sophisticated audience, the boy sat down at the stool - placed his small fingers in the right location and began to play “chopsticks.” The roar of the crowd was hushed as hundreds of frowning faces turned in his direction. Irritated, they began to shout:

“Get that boy away from there!”
“Who’d bring a kid that young in here?”
“Where’s his mother?”
“Somebody stop him!”

Backstage, Paderewski heard what was going on out in front and figured out what was happening. He grabbed his coat and rushed out on stage. He stooped over behind the boy, reached around both sides, and began to improvise a countermelody to harmonize with “chopsticks.”

And, as the two of them played together, Paderewski kept whispering in the boys ear: “Keep going. Don’t quit, son. Keep on playing... Don’t stop... Don’t quit.”

This is how God desires to be with us each day of our lives. To improvise on our behalf - to surround us - to guide us - to lead us through - to protect us. On Monday morning - if we listen - we can hear Him say, “Keep going. Don’t quit... Keep on playing... I’m here.”

Psalm 121 teaches us to be honest with God. If you have a problem in your life, tell God about it. Don’t hide it. Don’t cover it up. Especially, don’t become pious and sanctimonious and try to act as though there is no trouble. If you feel angry with God - say so. If you’re upset about something - tell Him. Resentful - scared - stressed - happy - joyful - pour out your feelings and emotions to God. Why? Because on Monday morning - just like Sunday morning - He is your help and he will be with you today, tomorrow, and forever.