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A Song of Ascents
1/4
I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help? Psalms 121: 1
This verse and the rest of the psalm were on my mind and in my prayer frequently during the last few days. It has been exactly a week now since my second trip to
I also felt very surprised and submerged in blessing when I meditated in the verses of that psalm and fell in love with it and kept repeating it during my long climbs.
My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth. Psalms 121: 2
While I was walking, feasting my eyes on the beauty of the nature that HE created and maintained for millions of years for man to live in, work in, and enjoy, I suddenly realized that the God who created all these things in heaven and earth, definitely has the ability to maintain me but not only me but everything that has breath that walks on crawls or swims for He does not forget a newborn even if he gets forgotten by his mother. “Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you.” Isaiah 49: 15. I also felt ashamed of myself for all my worries about my life, my future, my family. I also was ashamed of myself again, when I wanted to complain about a walk that I did once or twice but then I remembered that the people who live here, who have to do that climb 2 or 3 times or even more every day just to be able to live, didn’t complain and were thankful because maybe they knew long before I did that their help comes from the Creator of the heaven and earth who nor slumbers, nor sleeps.
“He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps
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A Song of Ascents
2/4
The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul. Psalms 121: 7
In one of those hikes, which was significantly longer (10 miles, 17 km) and distinctively steeper with longer distances of winding up hill climbs (with wonderful scenery), I became excessively short of breath and tired and had to stop and suddenly I realized that the rest of the group kept walking and I couldn’t even see them any more or hear their voices. I started having bad thoughts and felt that God is not listening to my prayers and I became worried and my soul was troubled with fear. Why am I so sick? What will happen if I get left alone in the middle of this mountain, in this heat with not so much water or food left? I actually started feeling angry with God remembering the psalm “How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” Psalms 13: 1 and also “There is no help for him in God.” Psalms 3:2. But shortly after I deeply regretted all these thoughts as one of the group (Now I think he’s my guardian angel) came back for me and stayed with me and helped me up and walked slowly with me and when I still couldn’t walk he left me and went up to get help from the rest of the group and on his way up he found a small house with a local Youngman who had a motorcycle and I heard that motorcycle sound coming towards me and I was never happier in my life to hear that rumbling sound of a motorcycle engine.
And even more, by the time we got up the hill to that young man’s house, the other group members got concerned and sent us a horse and then I felt that God was reconciling with me by sending me a ride that was better than His own as when He rod something on earth, He rode a small donkey while he sent me a horse. At that moment, I regretted all my thoughts and feelings and felt weak for my little faith, yet strong by the mercy of God.
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A Song of Ascents
3/4
He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber. Psalms 121: 3
On these little trails with lots of gravel and stone, it is almost impossible to take 2 steps without risking of falling. Yet, I didn’t fall and I became certain that I will not submle and fall because God’s care is so extensive that He has an eye on every step that I take and that He is walking with me, not only in the path of this hike but more importantly in the path of my life. I am His beloved child. He will NOT let me stumble or fall.
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A Song of Ascents
4/4
The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore. Psalms 121: 5-8
So many times, we feel we are under the heat or we have prayed “The burden and heat of the day I did not endure because of the weakness of my humanity.” Agpeya vespers(sunset) prayer. But in the same prayer of the 11th hour we hear God’s promise that sun will not burn you by day and that He watches over my coming and going now and forevermore.
Pray for me my brothers and sisters so that this brief trip to Honduras becomes a living memory and that I can grow in grace and spirit and be steadfast in my faith in Him and to draw closer to Him and take one more step in the path of the release of the spirit towards Him.
Pray also for the people of Honduras and the people of San Jose Del Negrito and similar villages all over the world, that God may give them strength and healing.
Pray also for the mission of Hombro A Hombro (Shoulder to Shoulder) and all that are involved in it that God may give them means and success and facilitates what they do.
And finally, pray for all the men and women who still don’t know the grace of the Love of God for them, that He may shine the Light of His Face on their hearts and bring them to him like the one lost sheep.
Through the intercessions of the pure virgin Holy Theotokos Saint Mary and all the choir of the saints,
In JESUS Name.
Amen
Pray for me
Magued Raafat Rizk
Sunday, 18th of April 2010
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