Psalm 123

Two points we can learn from the psalmist today.

Lift up our eyes

The psalmist remembered to lift up his eyes to God who dwell in the heavens. During difficult times, when the going gets tough and people around us looked upon us with contempt, do we remember to look up and seek Jesus, or do we only know how to look within ourselves and dwell on our misery?

Often, we forget to lift up our eyes. We forget to look to the One who had bore the cross and endured hostility against Himself.

looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. (Hebrews 12:2-3)

When we lift up our eyes unto Jesus, and remember that He understands what we are going through, what a comforting thought that is!

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb 4:15-16)

Look to the hand

The eyes of the servants are always looking to the hand of their masters. Any moment, with a gesture, the master might beckon the servant to him. The servant is expected to respond swiftly to the master’s requests.

The hand of the master is also the hand which supplies the needs of the servants and distributes rewards. The servant depends on the master to sustain him and he can look forward to great gifts if he had done well.

Have our eyes been looking to the Lord our God? As we wait on Him, do we do so patiently, as a servant would wait by the master’s side? Or have we been impatient, even forgetting that He is the One who supplies all our needs and that only by Him can we be satisfied?

Let us strive to be good servants of the Lord and may the day come when we would hear from Him, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Psalm 114

In 8 verses, this psalm remembers the deliverance of God and the events revolving around it. The psalmist remembered the parting of the red sea and how the people of God walked across safely. He also recalled how Israel crossed river Jordan on dry ground; how the waters stood still and rose in a heap (Joshua 3:16).

The imagery of the mountains and hills skipping like rams and lambs emphasizes the miracle that even mountains which we deemed unmovable can be moved, and in fact, they skipped.

What is the factor behind all these? The psalmist similarly raised the rhetoric questions, asking the waters and the mountains to explain themselves.

The waters and the mountains are two natural phenomenons. Yet we know that God is the Almighty Creator behind all. As massive as we may deem the sea or the mountains to be, God can calm the sea and the waves and He can surely move mountains.

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord! This is the main crux. God dwelt amongst the people of Israel. He was with them.

Exodus 29:45 Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.

And therefore, at the presence of the Lord God, the seas obeyed and the mountains shook. The psalmist affirmed that it was God who made the waters and the earth tremble. Do we have such faith today? Do we have faith in an Almighty God?

Similarly, today, if we have the presence of God in us wherever we go, I am also confident that mountains can be moved and waters stand still. The question is, are we God’s sanctuary? Does God really live in me?

Sharing this hymn which the choir presented before: My God Lives

My God lives in quiet valleys,
He lives beneath the deepest sea;
My God lives above the highest mountain,
He lives even lives within me. 

My God moves in splendid wonders,
He moves in earth's remotest part;
My God moves in lowliest surroundings,
He moves, even moves in my heart.

My God lives in gentle mothers.
He works in strong and mighty men;
My God works in brave, in weak, in lowly,
He works, even works in me then.

My God lives, he lives forever,
He lives and thus gives life to me;
My God lives and moves, and is my being,
He lives, even lives eternally, eternally,
He lives eternally.