Held on Every Side
As mountains encircle Jerusalem, God’s presence surrounds His people—corporately and personally—now and forever.
By Steve Wilkins
Key Scripture
“As the mountains surround :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1},
so the LORD surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.”
—Psalm 125:2
Surrounded By God
The city of Jerusalem does not sit on a flat plain, exposed and vulnerable. It is nestled within a ring of high hills and mountains—the Mount of Olives, Mount Scopus, and others forming a natural defense. For the ancient pilgrim, this geography was a living symbol of safety and permanence. The mountains were constant, unmoving, and protective.
It is this image the psalmist uses to help us understand the nature of God’s care for His people.
First, consider the corporate surrounding. The psalmist says the Lord surrounds “his people.” The mountains do not protect a single house; they encircle the entire city. This is a picture of the Church—not as scattered individuals hoping for safety, but as a community held together within the unbreachable care of God.
We live and move within His presence as a people. When one rejoices, that joy echoes across the hills of God’s faithfulness. When one suffers, they do so not in isolation, but within the protective valley of His sovereignty—held by prayer, love, and grace.
Yet God’s majesty never becomes impersonal.
Imagine standing in Jerusalem. You can see the mountains stretching across the horizon, but you can also feel the breeze they channel into the streets. In the same way, the God who surrounds His people is also the God who draws near to the individual soul.
He surrounds you.
Your specific fears.
Your quiet hopes.
Your unseen battles.
His presence is not merely a wall in the distance—it is the very atmosphere you breathe. The same power that established the mountains is the same tenderness that shields your fragile heart. He knows your name. He sees your path. His vast, eternal nature is focused with loving precision on the details of your life.
And this promise is sealed with time: “both now and forevermore.”
This is not a temporary shelter. The security you have in Him today is the same security that will hold you at the end of your days and carry you into eternity. Mountains do not wander away. They define steadfastness. So does the Lord.
To live in this truth is to walk with quiet confidence—to face uncertainty not with fear, but with the assurance that we are held, together and alone, within the unbreakable circle of God’s care.
Prayer
Father, thank You for being the mountains around me and around Your people. Help me rest in the security of Your corporate embrace, knowing I am part of a community held safely by You. And draw my heart into the intimacy of this promise—that You surround my life, my fears, and my future with Your faithful presence. Teach me to live today as one who is safely, completely, and eternally surrounded by Your love.
Amen.
Takeaway Thought
God’s presence is not only around His people together—it is personally and eternally around you.