579_The security of those who trust in the Lord (Psalm 125) Psalm 125 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. 2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore. 3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong. 4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts! 5 But those who turn aside to their crooked ways the Lord will lead away with evildoers! Peace be upon Israel! Several years ago, a man from a coastal town told the story of surviving a violent storm at sea. He had been on a small fishing boat with two others when the sky darkened far sooner than expected. The wind rose with a howl, the waves mounted like walls, and the boat trembled as though it were made of paper. Panic swept over them. Their radio had stopped working, the shoreline had vanished from sight, and they were at the mercy of forces far beyond their strength. But the man remembered something curious: even while everything around them raged, there was a massive rock formation that rose above the water not far from where they drifted. When they managed to steer close enough, they anchored on the sheltered side of that unmovable cliff. “The sea was roaring,” he said, “but the rock never moved. And because it didn’t move, we survived.” It is a simple picture, yet powerful in its clarity: when everything around us trembles, we instinctively look for something—anything—that will not shake. Something stable enough to trust. Something strong enough to hold. Something steady enough to quiet our fears. And this longing for stability is what lies at the heart of Psalm 125, a psalm sung by pilgrims ascending the winding paths toward Jerusalem. As they walked closer to the holy city, they saw hills rising on every side—a natural fortress, a reminder of protection, permanence, and peace. In that moment, the psalmist’s mind turns toward a deeper reality: “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.” It is not accidental that the psalm begins with a metaphor of a mountain. Mountains do not sway with the winds or collapse with every passing storm. They are symbols of permanence in a world of constant instability. But not everyone chooses to anchor themselves to God. Scripture repeatedly shows that people often seek security in places that cannot truly hold them. Some trust in riches. Proverbs warns us plainly: “He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage.” Jesus reinforces this in words that are both sobering and tender: “How hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God!” Riches promise security, but those promises are fragile. Markets shift, fortunes evaporate, banks collapse, and what once felt firm can crumble overnight. When we place our
