Surrounded

"Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time on and forevermore." (Psalm 125.1-2)
Mount Zion is the hill in Jerusalem on which the Temple of Almighty God was built. It was a holy place. Jerusalem is located amidst a region of mountains. It is surrounded by a mountainous region.
Recently, I was watching a documentary about the mountains of North Carolina. A senior resident of the region (who had lived there her whole life) said, "When we grew up, we were told that the mountains are our friends; they are here to protect us. I suppose that even now, when I can look around and see the mountain range, I feel safe and secure."
What a great image of God's protection of us! For surely, God surrounds us. As another psalm declares,
"You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it. Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night," even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you."
There is nowhere we can go in all the Universe, no dark place, no desperate night, no dark valley, where God is absent. God is always there, encircling us with love and grace, like the mountains around Jerusalem.
May that assurance give you peace this day!