Psalm 125

My name is Mackenzie Wander, and I have been attending Fellowship for a little over a year after moving to Dallas in September of 2024. I am an events coordinator for a company in the travel industry and occasionally get to travel for events, which is pretty awesome! At church, I serve on the Young Adults leadership team and in the Students Ministry as a leader for our middle school girls. I am also part of a young adult women’s life group that I love dearly. Outside of church, you can usually find me walking or hammocking at White Rock Lake, playing pickleball, or hanging out with friends for a movie or game night.

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Psalm 125 begins with a beautiful promise: those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion. Mount Zion is mentioned frequently throughout the Bible and is often seen as the dwelling place of God or as a symbol of His people. But what does it mean for us to be like Mount Zion? Looking at this passage, I believe it means that as believers, we are strong, stable, and secure.

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We are strong and stable because Christ is our cornerstone. Referencing Isaiah, 1 Peter 2:6 says, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” Just as Christ is the cornerstone of Mount Zion, He is also our foundation. And when Christ is our foundation, we know that we can not only stand firm through trials, but also come out stronger on the other side.

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As we are like Mount Zion, we are also secure. Psalm 125:2 looks outward to what surrounds Mount Zion and reveals it to be an incredibly secure place. The verse mentions how the mountains surround Jerusalem, and what I learned is that many of those surrounding mountains are actually higher than Mount Zion, making it naturally defensible. This scene illustrates two beautiful truths: the Lord is all around us at all times, and nothing can reach us without first passing through Him. We are able to experience peace and security, knowing we have a guard at the gate.

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As this truth settles into my heart, I am convicted of the many times I have lacked trust in the Lord. I have always struggled with finding my security in Him and have often looked to other things—like relationships or my sense of purpose—to make me feel safe. In doing so, I neglected the truth that the safest place I can be is in the arms of the Lord. Reading this passage has helped me realize that the root of this struggle is a lack of trust: not always believing that the Lord knows best, has good plans, and truly wants to—and will—protect me.

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As you read this psalm, take some time to reflect on your own life. What are you building your foundation on? What false mountains of protection are you surrounding yourself with? I challenge you today to put your full trust in the Lord, knowing that you cannot fully trust in Him until you remove your trust in other things.

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When we begin to trust the Lord above all else, we also begin to honor Him more by living surrendered lives. Trust deepens our surrender because wholehearted trust allows us to feel safe enough to willingly give control of our lives to the One who holds them anyway. Our trust is also strengthened as we spend time abiding in the Lord. As we do, our lives naturally begin to reflect Mount Zion in strength, stability, and security.

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We are then given the opportunity to bless others by representing the new covenant and the hope we have in the eternal reign of the Messiah. So let us welcome others to Mount Zion—a place where grace overflows, where we are reconciled with God, and where we can rest, knowing that we are strong, stable, and secure.