Psalm 123
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to you,
to you who sit enthroned in heaven.
2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
for we have endured no end of contempt.
4 We have endured no end
of ridicule from the arrogant,
of contempt from the proud.
During a banquet, servants look intently at the hand of their master. If the master makes a slight hand gesture, the servant recognizes the signal and quickly attends to the master’s request. This is what is meant when we say that a servant is at the “beck and call” of the master. Similarly, two behaviors that should always accompany our prayers are watching and waiting. In Psalm 123, the attentiveness of a servant illustrates praying with focus. The people of Israel lift up their eyes to God in heaven, waiting on him to act on their behalf and watching for his prompting to direct their actions.
One of the Old Testament names of God is Jehovah-Jireh, which means “The LORD will provide.” God is our provider. When we are in need, he is the one who can fulfill those needs. The people of Israel prayed for peace and deliverance from the contempt of proud nations. This was something only God could give them, so they cried out to him and prayed for mercy.
When you pray, do you find yourself both watching and waiting on God? As we pray and wait, watch for the hand of God to direct our actions.
As you pray, ask God to help you look to him with patience and vigilance.
