Day 14 of 14

NIV

Psalms 123:1-4

Psalm 123

A song of ascents.

1I lift up my eyes to you,

to you who sit enthroned in heaven.

2As 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.

3Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,

for we have endured no end of contempt.

4We have endured no end

of ridicule from the arrogant,

of contempt from the proud.

Reflection: A big focus of the book of James is on the arrogant rich exploiting the poor and the fact that God sides with the oppressed and downtrodden.

In this psalm the writer asks for God’s help from arrogant oppressors, trusting in God’s mercy and deliverance. It opens with the phrase “you who sit enthroned in heaven,” reminding us of God’s ultimate control. This is good to remember, especially when our circumstances threaten to overwhelm us and we are treated unjustly by powerful others. The psalmist’s vision is fixed on God in troubled times, reminiscent of the opening lines of Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

There is a confidence and expectation here that God will act, and that the God who, as James writes, “does not change” and who has given us “new birth through the word of truth”, is always with us. This perspective impacts the way we see and relate to even the hardest times of our lives.

Question: How might this psalm help us, whether we are feeling oppressed, or if we are in danger of being an oppressor?

Prayer: Thank you, God, that you are in control of all things. Please have mercy on me and give me patience and a sure trust in you in all circumstances. Amen.