Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.
In Psalm 121, the poet said, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills.” Now, in Psalm 123, he says:
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens (v. 1).
Then the poet prays to this God in the heavens:
As the eyes of slaves
look to their master,
as the eyes of slavegirls
look to their mistress,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
until he grants us mercy (vv. 2-3).
This is one of the quietest, most peaceful, most hopeful prayers in the psalms. It doesn’t reek of desperation, it doesn’t try to cajole God into action, it doesn’t petition God for help or advantage. Instead, it waits quietly and patiently for God to acknowledge the poet’s gaze and respond.
Let’s pray.
Our father, we are distracted people. We have business to conduct, food to prepare, news to read, and the internet to surf. Places to go and people to meet. Is it not your job to smooth our way and monitor our schedule and bless our activities?
But today, with the poet we take a break from our restless activity. We look to you, we wait for you.
My dog waits patiently by the door, watching intently as I tie my boots, get a water bottle, put on sunglasses and hat. He knows that good things are coming soon–a walk in the smells of summer, the society of other dogs, a picnic table where he will share my muffin. But for now, he’s patient, waiting for my signal to go.
Perhaps I could live with my eyes on you, God, waiting for you to look at me, waiting for your signal. Like the poet, I could be quiet and at peace with you.
With the poet we pray,
Grant us grace, O Lord, grant us grace,
for we have been objects of contempt.
Long have we suffered
the ridicule of of the arrogant
and the contempt of the proud (vv. 3-4).
O Lord, we do not seek the riches of the stock market, nor the fame of Hollywood, nor the respect of politicians who game the system. Grant us your grace to lead humble, quiet lives, looking only to you.
Amen.
I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.
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