Psalm Devotional
Preserved to Persevere
Psalm 125 is the sixth in the Songs of Ascents (120-134). The overall theme of the series is ascending to the temple in Jerusalem for the annual feasts (Exod. 23:14-17). Therefore, the Songs of Ascents are well suited to our praise as we ascend by the Spirit into the very presence of God in public worship (Heb. 12:22-24), which is an act of faith, and the ordinances of worship are the means to equipping faith for perseverance.
The structure of this psalm is similar to that of Psalm 123 in that there is a confession of faith (123:1, 2; 125:1-3) that leads into prayer (123:3-4; 125:4-5). This reminds us of the Lord’s prayer (Matt. 6:9-13) and teaches us that saving faith is necessary for effective prayer (Jas. 1:5-8).
Saving faith has three components: cognizance, conviction and commitment—in other words, knowledge, persuasion, and action. Persuasion by the Holy Spirit, by which we understand the truth of Scripture, is emphasized in verse 1, “Those who trust in the Lord.” Believers, rooted through faith in God Himself, are as immovable as Mt. Zion and as surrounded by God’s power as Jerusalem is by a wall of mountains (v. 1, Matt. 7:24, 2 Kings 6:17f). This is in stark contrast to those who put their faith in things that decay and fail (Isa. 40:18-20; 1 Tim. 6:17).
