To You, Lord, I Lift My Eyes
Psalm 123:1-2: "To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! 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."
Psalm 123 is often called a community lament. This group of Israelites felt that God had brought punishment upon them, either because of other unfaithful Israelites or because of the Gentiles surrounding them. In faithful expectation, these pilgrims lifted their eyes up to the Lord. Lifting their eyes seemed to mean also lifting their hearts, their hopes, and their expectations up to the Lord. There was an acknowledgement that the Lord of Israel sat above all things; their God alone was enthroned in the heavens. So, it was to him, and to him alone that they would set their eyes and hearts.
They not only lifted their eyes and hearts in adoration of the Lord, but they looked to him with great expectation that he would see their faithfulness and that he would bless them in their fervent pursuit of him. The comparison of the servant looking to the master is one of trust. The servant trusted that the master would provide all that he had promised and that he would reward the good work of his servant.
So, these Israelites looked up to the Lord and awaited his merciful response. When they asked for mercy, they knew that God's covenantal love and faithfulness to the nation of Israel was completely undeserved. God had remained faithful while the nation of Israel had repeatedly been unfaithful. Thus, these faithful Israelites drew upon that covenantal faithfulness of the Lord, asking once again that the Lord would have mercy on his people.
Do you, like the Psalmist, take your eyes off yourself and off the world around you when things get challenging so that you can put your eyes on the Lord? While it is challenging to stop looking at the physical world and the physical people within the world, true hope is only found in looking up, and looking up in expectation that God sees you, knows you, loves you, and will have mercy on you.
The Lord has proven himself faithful to his covenant and his steadfast love. Will you look to him or will you keep looking at yourself and this world?
Reflection:
How does this Psalm challenge you in your faith walk today?
Psalm 123 is often called a community lament. This group of Israelites felt that God had brought punishment upon them, either because of other unfaithful Israelites or because of the Gentiles surrounding them. In faithful expectation, these pilgrims lifted their eyes up to the Lord. Lifting their eyes seemed to mean also lifting their hearts, their hopes, and their expectations up to the Lord. There was an acknowledgement that the Lord of Israel sat above all things; their God alone was enthroned in the heavens. So, it was to him, and to him alone that they would set their eyes and hearts.
They not only lifted their eyes and hearts in adoration of the Lord, but they looked to him with great expectation that he would see their faithfulness and that he would bless them in their fervent pursuit of him. The comparison of the servant looking to the master is one of trust. The servant trusted that the master would provide all that he had promised and that he would reward the good work of his servant.
So, these Israelites looked up to the Lord and awaited his merciful response. When they asked for mercy, they knew that God's covenantal love and faithfulness to the nation of Israel was completely undeserved. God had remained faithful while the nation of Israel had repeatedly been unfaithful. Thus, these faithful Israelites drew upon that covenantal faithfulness of the Lord, asking once again that the Lord would have mercy on his people.
Do you, like the Psalmist, take your eyes off yourself and off the world around you when things get challenging so that you can put your eyes on the Lord? While it is challenging to stop looking at the physical world and the physical people within the world, true hope is only found in looking up, and looking up in expectation that God sees you, knows you, loves you, and will have mercy on you.
The Lord has proven himself faithful to his covenant and his steadfast love. Will you look to him or will you keep looking at yourself and this world?
Reflection:
How does this Psalm challenge you in your faith walk today?
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