The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 123:1,
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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"I lift up my eyes to you,
to you who sit enthroned in heaven."
This psalm is a plea for God's delivering hand from those who treated God's people with contempt and ridicule. The plea is made in verses 2-3a, "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. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us…"
I note the posture of the one making the plea as quoted above. The psalmist looks to heaven where the Lord sits on his throne. It brings to my mind the exhortation Paul gives in his letter to the church in Colossae, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4.
In that Colossian passage Paul addresses believers on the issue of putting to death those things that pertain to our "earthly nature", our "old self", that we might put on the "new self", Colossians 3:5-10.
In Psalm 123 the enemy was those who treated God's people with contempt and ridicule. In Colossians 3 the enemy we need relief from is our own sinful nature. In both cases we see the encouragement to set our hearts and minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
I need to be mindful that this is the appropriate posture when I need God's help, even when I am my own enemy.
to you who sit enthroned in heaven."
This psalm is a plea for God's delivering hand from those who treated God's people with contempt and ridicule. The plea is made in verses 2-3a, "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. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us…"
I note the posture of the one making the plea as quoted above. The psalmist looks to heaven where the Lord sits on his throne. It brings to my mind the exhortation Paul gives in his letter to the church in Colossae, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Colossians 3:1-4.
In that Colossian passage Paul addresses believers on the issue of putting to death those things that pertain to our "earthly nature", our "old self", that we might put on the "new self", Colossians 3:5-10.
In Psalm 123 the enemy was those who treated God's people with contempt and ridicule. In Colossians 3 the enemy we need relief from is our own sinful nature. In both cases we see the encouragement to set our hearts and minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
I need to be mindful that this is the appropriate posture when I need God's help, even when I am my own enemy.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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