We can always look to God for his help, for his presence and his deliverance from crisis. This little package of dynamite in the Psalms teaches us precisely that.
There are two things in this Psalm that we can focus on that underscores this fact about God.
First, it is one of the Psalms (Psalms 121–134) referred to as “a song of ascents.” It is believed that it is one of the Psalms that worshipers would recite as they ascended the road to Jerusalem during annual religious festivals.[i] In other words, they were reciting these words on the way to church to worship God.
What a life-changer if believers would prepare their hearts prior to worship services! Instead of all of the distracting things we as modern believers engage in before service, what would happen if we walked into the church door already amped up for God, having just recited scripture and praying before our arrival. Sounds like a staging ground for revival to me.
Second, the Psalm itself reflects the God we serve can be depended on in any crisis, largely the kind of crisis put upon them by others. As we are plunged into the turbulent waters of persecution, or any crisis, we can literally “lift our eyes” to the one enthroned in heaven, the God of creation who sees us looking to him and hears our prayers.
In verse 4 the reference is to the taunting of the world. The literal rendering is “greatly our soul is full to it”[ii] in reference to our sheer exhaustion of the crisis the world throws upon us.
What current crisis has its hands around your neck? Look to him, worship him prior to church, and come to this wondrous gathering of his people and see what our King will do in your life.
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To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! 2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. 4 Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.
Psalm 123 ESV
©2018 by Ben Bounds. All rights reserved.
[i] See translators note 2 in the NET Bible for this verse.
[ii] See translators note 7 in the NET on this.
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