July 2, 2020
For the next 15 days we will be reading through the Psalms of Ascent together as a church! The Psalms of Ascent are a collection of 15 psalms (Psalms 120-134) that pilgrims would sing on their way up to Jerusalem to worship. These songs are meant to instruct and prepare the hearts of the traveler to worship the Lord! As sojourners and aliens in this world, we too need to have our hearts prepared for and instructed in the worship of our God. Let’s meditate on these psalms and allow the Spirit of the Lord to move us to true worship as we seek Him together!
Psalm 123 is a psalm of waiting on the Lord, waiting on His mercy and deliverance. This song envisions a scenario in which the pilgrim worshippers are enduring the scorn and contempt of the proud, those who are at ease. Whether these references are meant towards the unfaithful in Israel itself or the unbelieving Gentiles is unclear, but throughout history God’s people have, more often than not, been objects of ridicule and scorn from those in power.
This psalm is simultaneously a plea for God’s mercy to be demonstrated towards His people and a confident declaration of faith that it will. The psalmist writes in verse 2 “so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he has mercy on us” (emphasis mine). There is no question as to whether or not God is going to show mercy on His people; it is only a matter of time!
This is a great comfort and joy to all God’s people who feel the weight of injustice, oppression, ridicule and scorn against them. We can and should cry out to God for His mercy and vindication to be poured out on us as we face the opposition of the world, but as we do so we must do it with absolute confidence that He will indeed do it!
We may not be able to see the mercy of our Lord coming, and our circumstances may tempt us to believe that it won’t ever come, but the nature of faith is to believe that God will come through in spite of the supposed evidence to the contrary which surrounds us. We can have hope that God’s mercy will come, that in the end He will vindicate His people and deliver them from oppression and scorn forever!
Until that day, we wait with confident faith.
Psalm 123
Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God
A Song of Ascents.
123 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.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Family Discussion Question:
- What does it mean to “wait for the Lord”? How can God use seasons of waiting on Him to grow and deepen our faith?
Dear Heavenly Father,
At one time or another we all have waited for something to happen to change our circumstances for the better. This time in our lives more than ever it does seem like we have been waiting so long for peace to reign in our world again. Please help us all to have the faith and confidence in You,Lord. to work out Your plan in Your time. We are an impatient people and want things “now”. But we have to be patient and wait. On You. True faith will override impatience. Please know I am putting my faith in You over my impatience in me. Lord have mercy on us as we wait on You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Amen and Amen!!
True faith will override impatience, Lord. Let me have the faith of a mustard seed to overcome my fear and impatience! Amen!
Abba good morning ❤️ You are the gate keeper, the vine dresser, our promise keeper, LORD of lords. Your Word is a lamp on to my feet and a light on to my path. Lead us this day in the way of everlasting.
“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”❤️??
Romans 8:22-23,25
=ESV
We love You Abba, In Jesus name Amen
Amen !
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4: 18
My eyes look to the Lord my God. Have mercy on me O Lord.
While we are waiting, God is working.
amen
Dear Heavenly Father, I praise you, and thank you that you have never given up on me and have a plan for my life. During these times when I worry or may become anxious, thank you for your word that reminds me I am provided for by your power, which has no equal, against any adversity within your sight, which has no end. Please help me to hold this promise in my heart and remember that even though your plan is not constrained by my understanding of good and bad or even my concept of time, the result will always be better for me than I could ever imagine and born from your eternal love for me. Fill me with the fruits of your Holy Spirit and to be especially patient, kind, and not idle. Amen.
To an answer to the question, “What does it mean to wait on the Lord?” Waiting is HARD! Especially in this time we live in, “The PUSH BUTTON, or TOUCH SCREEN” age!
We want everything to be instantaneous! Instant everything!
And to wait on the Lord?
We want to go ahead of the Lord and do it our way. And that’s when everything goes amuck!!
We NEED to WAIT on the Lord!
We as those who know the Lord personally, need to ask Him to help us to stop – and wait on Him to take control, then wait for Him to show us His way, not our way to solve anything!
Lord thank you for teaching me to have patience knowing that has I am going through these valleys you have it already worked out and in control.
As I wait, help me work in a way that follows your leading. Rather than forcing outcomes, I will expect to see you work in and around the people in my life and the circumstances you place me in.
Especially those circumstances that God allows to come your way…….God is in those events……working.
Waiting is so hard; however, I know you are at work completing what needs to be done. Thank you for comforting me during this terrible time in our country and around the world. Satan wants me to fear, but I choose to rest in You!
It is hard to wait………..It doesn’t come easy. But God is walking ahead of us and alongside us and that is a good thing. Miss you!
Loving & patient Father, you know us because you made us & know that we find it hard to wait. Thank you for your promise/reward to those who wait on you. Isaiah 40: 31…”but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint”. Help me to patiently, prayerfully & faithfully wait on You.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for times such as these. Thank you for allowing us to see true humanity (the good, the bad, the ugly) and experience something that we have never experienced before. Thank you for showing us how we need to love more, have more compassion for others and how your timing is perfect. Help us to see that although it may feel like years in what is happening to the world, reminds us of how you allowed the Israelites to wonder for 40 years and things could be worse. Give us the wisdom to recognize and see how much you love us in the middle of our disobedience and selfishness. As we wait on you, reveal to us what we as Christians should be doing at this time to bring glory and honor to you. It is not about what we want, it is about how we can please you. Humble us, convict us and give us joy and peace as we watch and wait on you as you already know the ending of what we are going through. In the precious name of Jesus. Amen