Psalms 123:12 -- On Lifting up our Eyes to God

"Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us."
Psalms 123:12


I like the idea here of waiting upon the Lord, because it makes it clear that we aren't waiting for him in an impatient "you're late for your appointment" way, but rather in a "here he comes to save the day" way. Waiting for a hero rather than a slowpoke. And as we wait, we trust. This is something sure and certain that we are waiting for--the answer of our superior and our safety to a situation that the servant can't handle alone.

In that context, many of our struggles seem more managable... because it changes each situation into one where instead of being alone and wondering how to handle situations that are completely unmanageable, we're just waiting for help to come. We know it will, just not exactly when, and we only have to make it until then. I like that interpretation because it means that we always have back up, just as Elisha did. Even though not everyone could see the horses and chariots of fire, yet they were there (2 Kings 6:17). So it is with us I think, if we can focus on and trust in God and his mercy and deliverance rather than panicking when we feel alone and overwhelmed.

Today, let's lift up our eyes to God, and wait upon his mercy.