"I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven. 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. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, for we have endured no end of contempt."

Psalm 123:1-3

Reading this psalm in the light of the cross and resurrection, we can jubilantly declare that God has answered the psalmist’s plea and poured out his mercy lavishly through Christ. We are still thoroughly dependent upon God’s mercy yet, because of what Christ has done, we stand justified before him. We can approach his throne of grace with confidence that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.2 This combination of total dependency and absolute confidence is the unique privilege of followers of Christ. It is also the ideal springboard for spiritual growth. We acknowledge with the psalmist our utter need for God, and yet rejoice that his mercy has been extravagantly poured out. The only reasonable response is grateful service.

Closing Prayer

Father, in you, I will always find mercy—mercy that is far greater than any challenge or fear, any heartbreak that I face. Thank you for your faithful love, your constant help, and for the confident hope that is mine because of the gift of your Son.

(edited from Encounter with God)