We all would like to think that we know where we are going and how to get there.

But at every stage in life, we need divine direction. God has promised to guide us if we simply follow.

The fifth and final section of Psalms are referred to as Deuteronomy Psalms because they remind

us to keep returning to the truth of God's Word.

Join us as we study them with Scott Pauli today. Within this large book of psalms, there are short series of psalms that frequently go together,

and we are coming now to one of those sections.

And it's fascinating to me.

It's always been of interest to me. The more I study it, the more exciting it is. There are 15 of them. They're all

right together, beginning with Psalm 120, and they are referred to as the Songs of Degrees.

As a matter of fact, if you look just above verse one, and each one of these 15

Psalms, starting with Psalm 120, you'll see a song of degrees. When I think degrees, immediately

I'm thinking about the temperature outside, but the degrees here actually was a geographical

term used for progress. It is believed that these particular

Psalms were Psalms that were sung by the people of God as they went up to the temple to worship.

So they've been referred to as the ascending Psalms. Literally, a song of degrees is a song of ascents or of going up.

So imagine now the people of God are on their way into the presence of the Lord,

going up to Jerusalem, going up to the temple to worship, and they're singing these songs.

Well, Psalm 120 is the first of these.

And if you read these seven verses, you think, this is a depressing song.

This is not a happy song, I don't think.

Listen to it.

In my distress, I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me.

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