Psalm 120 opens the “song book” appropriately with the song of a faithful pilgrim who is far from the temple among a pagan people.

This isn’t a happy song, this is a psalm of lament, of honesty and reflection. The psalm begins with “my distress” and ends in “war!” This Psalm, like the other “Songs of Ascents,” contains many of the essential aspects of Christian discipleship—providing a reminder of where we are going and how we can get there.