Overcoming the Blues Through the Psalms, Part 6: “Help is Here”
- SNE.BCNA
- Feb 8
- 6 min read
Psalm 121 (February 8, 2026)
Today, we finish our sermon series, “Overcoming The Blues Through the Psalms.” For the past 6 weeks (actually 7 weeks), we have been giving you a Biblical prescription for how to overcome the blues.
And listen… There are a lot of kinds of blues:
The winter blues
The post-holiday blues
The ice storm blues
The marriage blues
The broke-with-no-money blues
The no electricity blues
The no water blues
And on and on and on we could go…
The “Blues Virus”
Symptoms include depression, isolation, grief, sadness, a loss of faith, doubt, anger with God, disappointments, stress, and the dread of the day.
And this is what you must know about the Blues Virus: I am not immune to them (the blues), and neither are you.
Also know this—if you are experiencing the blues:
(a) This doesn’t mean that you are not saved… but it could.
(b) This doesn’t mean that you don’t love Jesus… but it could.
(c) This doesn’t mean that you are doing something wrong… but it could.
But what it does mean is that you are human. And when you read the Bible, you will discover that many of God’s chosen vessels had deep moments of blues and doubt.
The Biblical Prescription
Here’s what we have been doing in this series:
Read the Psalm we preach on Sunday (today)
Read, pray, and study that Psalm each day of the week
Sing, listen to, or read the songs we print for you
And I must warn you… This prescription has side effects.
Side effects include (but are not limited to): joy, a sense of peace, repetitive Jesus songs going through your mind all day, confidence in God, patience, and kindness toward others.
I guarantee you this is the best medicine you can take. Take it—it will cure your blues.
Psalm 121: A Pilgrim’s Song
Psalm 121 has a superscription that tells us it is a “Song of Degrees.” That means it’s one of the Psalms worshipers would sing as they made their way up to Jerusalem to participate in the three great annual feasts:
Passover
Pentecost
Tabernacles
So with that in mind, it’s plain to see: this is a pilgrim’s song. It tells of the dangers of the journey—and the help God provides along the way.
And I would remind you today: we are all pilgrims 1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:13 Our pilgrimage began the moment we received Jesus as Lord and Savior, and it will continue until we step out of this life and into eternity.
“Where Does My Help Come From?”
Notice the question Psalm 121 asks:
“I will lift up my eyes to the hills—From whence comes my help?”
Let’s ask that same question.
Those hills could represent a place of great danger—thieves, bandits, and criminals hiding in the hills. The Psalmist is asking: “Who is going to help me on the hill?”
So when you are down and out with the blues…
Where do you look for help?
Some look to the government for help. Some look to the bottle for help. Some look to pleasure for help. Some look to a pill for help. Some look to drugs for help. Some look to relationships for help. Some look to self-help resources for help . Some look to social media for help.
As a matter of fact, people are getting rich telling you how to better yourself.
So let me ask it plainly:
When your faith is struggling—where do you look for help?
When your marriage is struggling—where do you look for help?
When your life is struggling—where do you look for help?
Sometimes we look for help in all the wrong places… and in all the wrong faces.
But the Psalmist answers his own question:
Psalm 121:2 (NKJV): “My help comes from the Lord, who made the heaven and earth.”
When we have problems in our life—when we are struggling with the blues—when things are not looking good—we must take our eyes off the problems, take our eyes off the blues, and LOOK UP to God!
A simple contrast
Worry keeps the eyes on the problem.
Worship keeps the eyes on the Provider.
Borrowing His Smile: The Example of Joni Eareckson Tada
Picture Joni Eareckson Tada. Joni has been in a wheelchair since the age of 17. For almost 60 years, she has been completely dependent on others to take care of her.
During her two years of rehabilitation (according to her autobiography), Joni experienced anger, depression, suicidal thoughts, and religious doubts.
But during occupational therapy, she learned to paint with a brush between her teeth and began selling her artwork. She also writes this way—though for most writing tasks she uses voice recognition software. She has written over 40 books, recorded musical albums, starred in an autobiographical movie, and has become an advocate for people with disabilities.
She is a strong Christian woman. In an interview with Francis Chan, she said that almost every morning she has to “borrow His smile” (talking about Jesus). She also said, “I have to fight for my joy.”
And throughout her testimony, she keeps returning to this: she not only looks to Jesus for help, she prays, “Jesus, but you have to take over.”
That’s where help comes—when we look past the problems and fix our eyes on Jesus and Heaven.
Maybe today you need to look past the mountains:
The mountain of hurt
The mountain of anger
The mountain of disappointment
The mountain of grief
The mountain of a broken heart
…and look to Jesus—wholeheartedly taking your eyes off the blues and fixing them on the Maker of heaven and earth.
He is not asleep. He is not resting. His phone isn’t busy. He’s waiting for you to pour out your soul to Him.
Help is here in Jesus!
God Never Sleeps
Psalm 121:3–4 (NKJV):“He will not allow your foot to be moved;He who keeps you will not slumber.Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”
He is the Night Watchman over your soul.
How comforting to know that at 2:00 AM, you may be unable to sleep—burdened with worry and anxiety—but God is NOT. The Good Shepherd never sleeps on the job.
I know when the blues are hard on you, God can seem far away. But he is not. He is close to the brokenhearted—catching every tear, renewing those who have lost faith.
Sit Down in the Shade of the Lord
Psalm 121:5–6 (NKJV):“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.”
When was the last time you sat down in the shade of the Lord?
Jesus says:
Matthew 11:28–29 (NKJV):“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Why not today stop fighting against Jesus… and start finding peace with Jesus?
The Lord Will Preserve You
Psalm 121:7–8 (NKJV):“The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;He shall preserve your soul.The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming inFrom this time forth, and even forevermore.”
Years ago, when our children were small, sometimes at night they would slip into our room and lie down beside our bed. When the weather was bad—stormy—they would get close to the bed and close to the wall.
And no matter how fearful they were, once they lay down next to Michelle and me…they went right to sleep.
They didn’t fall asleep because the room was different. They fell asleep because of who was watching over them.
Your Heavenly Father watches over you.
You are not alone when you are experiencing the blues.
Remember: The cure to the blues is not in the circumstances. The cure is always in Christ.
Coming to the Table of Grace
As we come to the table of grace today, I am asking you to:
Cast all your cares upon Christ
Lay down your blues
Lay down your sins
Lay down your unforgiveness
Lay down your anger
…and let the Holy Spirit renew your JOY.
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