Submissively Looking for His Mercy
Psalm 123
Verse 2 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.
Knowing we are to look up to God and seeing Him as our King gives us the image that will help us view Him as today’s verse describes.
We don’t like to think about things like having a master. We like to be in control of our own domain and don’t like to think about having others tell us what to do. Because of this we don’t like to think of submission but submission is such an important part of our faith life. If we aren’t submissive in spirit, we will not be living as God has commanded us to live.
The level of our distaste for submission speaks of our level of love and devotion to God. This psalm would be helping the travelers to remember that they were to be submissive to God and all of His decrees.
The slave looking to the hand of the master and female slave looking to the hand of her mistress isn’t about them waiting to be punished. A person under another’s control does more than looking for a beating, they know that every good thing that comes their way also comes from that hand of their master/mistress.
A Christian who has had a poor example of a father may struggle to see God as loving and the same may be able to be said of the slave. And just as not all fathers were good examples neither were every slave owner. But that isn’t what the psalmist was aiming at with this verse. Remember, each of these songs are to point us to God as we prepare for worship together. So what does submission and looking to our master look like in the light of it being a form of worship?
Submission is the ultimate style of worship we can give God. It is saying that He is the master of our lives. It is about knowing that to have Him as King of our lives mean we can’t be the kings/queens of our own lives. And that He will have the mercy on us that we need when we need it. And we are always in need of His mercy.
Making It Personal
How do you feel about being submissive to God? Do you notice a difference in your praise when you are surrendered fully to God? What does God’s mercy mean to you?
Making It Personal Kids
Why is it important to do everything that Jesus wants you to do? Do you always obey Jesus? How does it make you feel to know Jesus will give you what you need even if you don’t deserve it?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for being merciful to us, Your created children. Give us a growing desire to submit to You in every way and every time. You are our King. In Jesus’ name, amen.