A SONG OF ASCENTS.
ESV Ps 123
1 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2 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.
3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.
As we continue to look at the Psalms of Ascent, we see the writer once again lift up his eyes as he prays for help. When we are young, we are taught the proper posture for prayer is to bow our heads and clasp our hands together. But the older I become, my prayer posture is to raise my face toward heaven in expectation, and lift my hands in praise and adoration.
And, I wonder as the psalmist wrote yet another plea for mercy, had he made the connection between action and outcome? Does everything we suffer come as a result of something we did? No, much of our suffering is due to the fallen state of man and the world in which we live.
So this morning I begin my day with praise for my God, and petition for His mercy.
For those who are young, and have not yet found their way, I pray for direction and wisdom. I pray the lessons teaching humility would be quick and gentle.
For those whose illness has been diagnosed, I pray for healing that would be swift and sure.
For those who are suffering from an undiagnosed condition, I pray that You would give the doctors a supernatural wisdom to be able to see beyond what is readily visible.
For those in emotional distress, I pray that You help them overcome disappointment to revel in the joy that comes not from watching their circumstances but from relying on the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
May we know that our strength, our hope, and our help is in You.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Seeking Holiness 