I WILL LIFT UP MINE EYES UNTO THE HILLS

a Hymn Devotion for 27 May 2025 Anno domini,

the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide.

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1–2; KJV)

This is a remarkably beautiful and biblical hymn, one of more than 6,500, written by the Anglican cleric and co-founder of Methodism – Charles Wesley (1707-1788). Though a figure in the formation of Methodism with his brother, John, Charles Wesley never left the Anglican Communion. Before his death, he penned these words: “I have lived, and I die, in the Communion of the Church of England, and I will be buried in the yard of my parish church.” Like most hymns of Charles Wesley, the lyrics of this hymn are derived solely for Holy Scripture.

TO THE HILLS I LIFT MINE EYES

To the hills I lift mine eyes,
The ev­er­last­ing hills;
Streaming thence in fresh sup­plies,
My soul the Spir­it feels.
Will He not His help af­ford?
Help, while yet I ask, is giv­en:
God comes down; the God and Lord
That made both earth and Heav­en.

 Faithful soul, pray al­ways; pray
And still in God con­fide;
He thy fee­ble steps shall stay,
Nor suf­fer thee to slide:
Lean on thy Re­deem­er’s breast;
He thy qui­et spir­it keeps;
Rest in Him, se­cure­ly rest;
Thy watch­man nev­er sleeps.

 Neither sin, nor earth, nor hell
Thy keep­er can sur­prise;
Careless slum­bers can­not steal
On His all see­ing eyes;
He is Is­ra­el’s sure de­fense;
Israel all His care shall prove,
Kept by watch­ful pro­vi­dence,
And ev­er wak­ing love.

 See the Lord, thy keep­er, stand
Omnipotently near!
Lo! He holds thee by thy hand,
And ban­ish­es thy fear;
Shadows with His wings thy head;
Guards from all im­pend­ing harms;
Round thee and be­neath are spread
The ev­er­last­ing arms.

 Christ shall bless thy go­ing out,
Shall bless thy com­ing in;
Kindly com­pass thee about,
Till thou art saved from sin;
Like thy spot­less mas­ter, thou,
Filled with wis­dom, love and pow­er,
Holy, pure and per­fect, now,
Henceforth, and ev­er­more.

 To the hills I lift mine eyes, The ev­er­last­ing hills; Streaming thence in fresh sup­plies, My soul the Spir­it feels. Will He not His help af­ford? Help, while yet I ask, is giv­en: God comes down; the God and Lord That made both earth and Heav­en. The hills and mountains of the earth point directly to the Lord who is their Maker. If we wish to fellowship with God, we must follow their directed guidance – LOOK UP! The melting snows of Mt. Hermon feed into the Jordan River as it cascades down those rugged slopes to the Galilean Valley below bringing life and beauty to an otherwise arid land. The earth itself is a spiritually arid wilderness without those Waters of Life gushing forth from Heaven as an everlasting Fountain. What a blessing to know that the very Sovereign of the Universe deigns to come to us in our poverty to lift our unbecoming yokes.

Faithful soul, pray al­ways; pray And still in God con­fide; He thy fee­ble steps shall stay, Nor suf­fer thee to slide: Lean on thy Re­deem­er’s breast; He thy qui­et spir­it keeps; Rest in Him, se­cure­ly rest; Thy watch­man nev­er sleeps. How can we pray always amidst the cares and labors of this life? We do so by making our life itself into a living prayer to God. The daily life of a Christian is a continual sermon on the bounteous benefits and blessings of God. We are incapable of any good thing apart from the Lord Jesus Christ working in and through us. Our good works are not ours, but His. Our faults and shortcomings are ours to lay claim upon alone. Though we, through a failure of faith, may slip and stumble, the strong Right Hand of the Lord is right beside to lift us up on our feet again and put us on the Way. Just as the Apostle of Love, John, lay his head often on the breast of the Lord, so should we feel that close comfort and fellowship with our Lord. We may rest in security knowing that our Savior never will leave us nor forsake us.

Neither sin, nor earth, nor hell Thy keep­er can sur­prise; Careless slum­bers can­not steal On His all see­ing eyes; He is Is­ra­el’s sure de­fense; Israel all His care shall prove, Kept by watch­ful pro­vi­dence, And ev­er wak­ing love. Christ has defeated that primitive enemy of the soul – death and hell. Nothing can break the bonds of love that bind us to our glorious Redeemer – not even death itself: “I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) That reflected love that our Lord showers down upon us constitutes the walls of defense around our souls and spirits. His love is empowering to the point of total security and that imputed righteousness that exists only in Christ.

See the Lord, thy keep­er, stand Omnipotently near! Lo! He holds thee by thy hand, And ban­ish­es thy fear; Shadows with His wings thy head; Guards from all im­pend­ing harms; Round thee and be­neath are spread The ev­er­last­ing arms. Until his hand was grasped in the strong Hand of the Lord, Peter sank into the swirling torrent. Christ is always near at hand to pull us out of the depths of despair and save us from our own lack of faith. If we keep our hearts stayed on Him alone, we shall not sink in those waters of the world of flesh at all.  His everlasting arms, as those of the Eagle, surround and enfold His elect and, if we falter, He soars beneath to catch us on the beams of those powerful wings of love.

Christ shall bless thy go­ing out, Shall bless thy com­ing in; Kindly com­pass thee about, Till thou art saved from sin; Like thy spot­less mas­ter, thou, Filled with wis­dom, love and pow­er, Holy, pure and per­fect, now, Henceforth, and ev­er­more. The elect of God are kept as a Garden Enclosed and hedged about to protect from the rodents of sin and weeds of deceitfulness. We are blessed as we leave the safety of the sheepfold and are likewise blessed at our re-entry at the close of day. We are filled with wisdom and knowledge which are the beginnings and underpinnings of faith in Christ. We are purchased with a price far beyond man’s comprehension or ability to pay. We, who can do no righteousness, are accounted righteous in the love and embrace of our Lord Jesus Christ by God, the Father of Grace and Mercy.