Mercy for Those Who Look to the Lord

 

“I Lift Up My Eyes” – Psalm 123

Dear Friends, Psalm 123 is one of the shortest of the Psalms of Ascent, yet it carries a depth of feeling and spiritual insight that far outweighs its length. These were the songs the people of Israel sang as they made their way up to Jerusalem for the great feasts. With every step they drew nearer to the place where God had promised to meet with His people. In just four verses the psalmist gives us a beautiful and honest picture of what it looks like to live in humble, dependent trust in God — especially when life is hard and people are unkind.

The opening words set the tone for the whole psalm:

“To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!” (Psalm 123:1 ESV)

There is something wonderfully deliberate about that phrase. The psalmist does not look around at his circumstances, nor does he look down in despair. He lifts his eyes. He deliberately turns his gaze upward to the One who sits enthroned in the heavens — the sovereign, all-powerful Lord who rules over every situation.

The next verse gives us one of the most tender and instructive pictures in the whole Psalter:

“Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us.” (Psalm 123:2 ESV)

In ancient households, servants and maidservants did not serve by clock or timetable. They watched their master’s or mistress’s hand. A slight movement, a gesture, a nod — that was their signal. Their whole attention was fixed on the one they served. They waited, ready to respond the moment they were needed. The psalmist says that is exactly how God’s people should live — eyes constantly fixed on the Lord, waiting for His mercy, His direction, and His help.

Then comes the heartfelt, repeated cry:

“Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.” (Psalm 123:3 ESV)

The repetition is not empty words; it is the language of someone who has been worn down. The psalmist and those with him had endured scorn, mockery, and the cold contempt of people who were “at ease” and “proud.” These were not minor irritations — they had “had more than enough.” Yet even in that painful place, they did not turn to retaliation or self-pity. They turned their eyes upward and cried out for mercy.

This is such a helpful word for us today. We live in a time when contempt for biblical faith is increasingly open and vocal. It can come through social media, through colleagues, through family members, or through the general spirit of the age. It is easy to feel the weight of that scorn and to become either defensive or discouraged. Psalm 123 shows us a better way. We do not have to match contempt with contempt. We lift our eyes to the One who is enthroned in the heavens. We keep watching His hand. We keep asking for His mercy — and we keep believing that mercy will come.

The beautiful promise tucked into this psalm is that the Lord does not ignore the cries of His servants. He who is high and exalted still stoops to hear the prayers of those who look to Him in humble dependence. Our circumstances may not change overnight, but our perspective does. When we lift our eyes to the Lord, the contempt of others loses its power to crush us.

Pause & Pray: Take a quiet moment now. Close your eyes and picture yourself lifting your gaze to the Lord enthroned in heaven. Ask Him to help you fix your eyes on Him rather than on the opinions or criticisms of others. Thank Him that He is full of mercy and that He sees every situation you face. Pray for the grace to respond to any contempt you experience with quiet trust rather than reaction. Ask the Lord to strengthen you to keep watching His hand until He shows you His mercy.

Verse to Remember: “To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master… so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us.” (Psalm 123:1-2 ESV)

Question to Consider: When you face criticism, mockery, or difficult circumstances, where do your eyes naturally go — to the problem, to other people’s opinions, or upward to the Lord? What would it look like this week to deliberately “lift up your eyes” to God and wait for His mercy instead of reacting in your own strength?

Article written by Shaun Fereday, Leader @SFGH Church