Psalm 121
1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
This Sunday we continue our "Playlist" series with an inspiring message from Markita Cooper-Blackwood and Robert Blackwood. We'll hear about their individual stories of suffering through difficult circumstances, but also how the music and message of particular songs by Earth, Wind and Fire provided an avenue through which both Markita and Robert found the ability to renew their strength in the Lord and hold on through challenging times.
The song "Keep Your Head to the Sky," the centerpiece of the 1973 Earth, Wind and Fire album of the same name, seems to be heavily inspired by the same message we find in Psalm 121. The words are a strong reminder of our need to remain focused on the Lord, even when our circumstances may try to tell us otherwise. Rolling Stone music critic Vince Aletti, when reviewing the album back in 1973 writes, "The title cut, with the gentle admonition to "keep your head in faith's atmosphere," has a luscious, luminous quality," going on to say, "I was taken with the purity of the music and the spirituality of the lyrics ("Keep my head to the sky, for the clouds to tell me why. As I grew, and with strength, Master kept me as I repent. He gave me the will to be free, purpose to live His reality. I found myself never alone. Chances came to make me strong.") Their overall message is something spiritual."
The lyrics to both "Keep Your Head to the Sky" and "Devotion" (off of the 1974 album Open Our Eyes) truly are spiritual in their nature. They remind us of what we read in Psalm 121, which is categorized as a song of ascent. Our words, our prayers, our music not only rise from within our response to our circumstances, but they are also inspired by how we see God active in the world around us as well. Our praise ascends to the Lord through our desire to remain faithful in the here and now, but also through our remembrance of how God has enabled us to persevere in the past.
Therefore, this Sunday, let's bring our desire to lift praises of ascent to our Holy and Living God. Let's affirm together the desire to keep our head to the sky no matter what we might be facing in life, remembering that if God has carried us through before, God will do it again. When we remain in that 'atmosphere,' we will be blessed. God's light will brighten our troubled days and deliverance will be found.
See you this Sunday,
Pastor Jim
If you want a sneak preview of the songs Markita and Robert will be featuring this Sunday, you can check out our playlists on both Spotify and YouTube.
