Psalms 121:1-2

This is a "song of ascents", sung by pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem. The city sits high up, and the road passed through hills where there were bandits and shrines of other gods. Looking to the hills, then, was not only contemplation: it meant facing danger and the temptation to seek help in the wrong place.

Hence the question and the answer. "Where does my help come from?" — not from the hills, but "from the Lord, who made heaven and earth".

The whole psalm turns on one verb repeated six times: keep. He keeps your soul, he does not slumber, he is your shade at your right hand, he keeps your going out and your coming in.

It is a travel text, and that is why it remains the psalm most prayed on journeys, moves and farewells. It is worth reading all eight verses before getting in the car or boarding.