“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, 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. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us.” Psalm 123:1-3
We live so much of our days enthroned, as master of our schedules, manager of our resources, ruler of our hours. It is hard to rise up out of a decorated and cushy place of self-importance and control, but once we do, life with new freedom and power can begin. Acknowledging Who actually reigns is an act of glad surrender because it frees us from the disappointing tyranny of relying on ourselves.
Lifting the eyes from self and all things here below opens for us wide possibilities of fruitfulness and unshakable security. The similes in this psalm describe a beautiful relationship of dependence and trust we, as servants of the most high God, can know, and they begin with a turning up of the head.
Those under authority of a master look to him for mercy, a gracious means of acceptance and belonging, a safe place where he can come under his protection and care. Our heavenly Master, in mercy and love, welcomes us who are undeserving into our eternal inheritance. A servant would look to his master for identity, because his he is, and he would always be a member of his household. When we are reconciled to God, our Savior places His name on us and gives us a seal of guarantee; we are His, forever. The master provides for every practical need of his servant: shelter, food, clothing, materials, just as our good Master, Jehovah Jireh, the great Provider, amply supplies what we need materially for life, and spiritually for salvation and godliness. A maidservant would seek instruction from her mistress, what to do and how to do it, and our Lord counsels us with His eye upon us, leading us to the work He has designed for us. (Genesis 22:9-14; Psalm 32:8; Isaiah 43:1; Matthew 6:25-33; Ephesians 1:13; 2:4-10; 2 Peter 1:3)
Let us consider this wondrous position, and so look to our Master with resolve and trust. Let us turn from the world’s offerings, and so look to our Lord’s riches. Let us remove ourselves from lowly thinking and doing, and so look to the divine One to learn His ways and live filled with His mercy toward the needy, His love for the unlovable, His tenderness for the hard, His compassion for the downtrodden.
Good Master, I delight to be Your servant. May I ever look to You, and through You see, understand, and love others as You have loved me.
