TO YOU, O LORD, I LIFT MY EYES
Key verse: 2
NIV
Psalm 123
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to you,
to you who sit enthroned(A) in heaven.
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(B) our God,
till he shows us his mercy.
3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,
for we have endured no end of contempt.
4 We have endured no end
of ridicule from the arrogant,
of contempt from the proud.
Cross references
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway
ESV
Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God
A Song of (A)Ascents.123 To you I (B)lift up my eyes,
O you who are (C)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 (D)Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of (E)contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than enough
of (F)the scorn of (G)those who are at ease,
of the contempt of (H)the proud.
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123 To you I (B)lift up my eyes,
O you who are (C)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 (D)Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of (E)contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than enough
of (F)the scorn of (G)those who are at ease,
of the contempt of (H)the proud.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway
1. As the eyes of slaves (1-2)
God calls us to serve him. A servant of God does not act on his own--he tries to do his master's will. A slave watches his master's hand to see what he is doing. Then he participates in his master's work. I can be God's servant when I lift up my eyes to the throne of God, looking away from myself, giving up my own strong ideas. I wait on God. And when God shows me what he is doing and what he wants me to do, I do it with all my heart, for his glory. Jesus said, 'My Father is working still, and I am working' (Jn 5:17--RSV).
2. Have mercy on us, O Lord (3-4)
When we come to God in prayer, we should not bring a shopping list. We come to serve him, not to seek small benefits. He has set us free from bondage to sin. We belong to him. When we live as God's people and serve him, many times we suffer because of worldly people. So we need his mercy.
Prayer: Lord, I lift my eyes to you as a servant watches his master's hand. Show me how to serve you, and grant me your mercy.
One Word: Lift your eyes to the Lord
