Reading: Psalm 123
Psalm 123:2a – “We keep looking to the Lord our God for mercy.”
What causes you to lift your eyes to God “enthroned in heaven?” Perhaps it is the moments when God becomes present – in the created world, in a friend, in a blessing. In these moments we naturally lift a prayer or song of thanksgiving. We feel close to God, as if heaven came to earth. Or maybe you lift your eyes as the psalmist did, in moments of struggle. In these moments, heaven and God often feel far away.
In verse 2 the psalmist writes, “We keep looking to the Lord our God for mercy.” It feels like the “How long?” question isn’t far away. Yet there is a trust felt in the words of the psalmist. We too keep looking because we know that God is good and faithful and kind and compassionate and… merciful. We keep looking because God has become present again and again. We keep looking in faith.
The psalmist names “contempt” as the current struggle. The arrogant are looking at or treating them with total disgust, thinking that they are totally unworthy of respect. Contempt may be our struggle. Or it might be something else – depression, anxiety, fear, loneliness, injustice, a health crisis. Whatever the struggle, we too look to God. We long for God to act or to move because we too have “had our fill.” If this is your present reality, keep looking to God.
Many are struggling in our world today. It could be one of the things listed above or it could be something else. Our culture teaches us to tough it out, to try harder, to not show anything that could be perceived as weakness. Our faith teaches the opposite: walk together, lift one another, share a burden, be honest. Just as we look to God in moments of need, may we also look to one another. May it be so.
Prayer: Lord God, grant us the courage and the trust to name our struggles. Lead us to come before you and to be honest with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Also, Lord, attune us to others. Open our hearts to those who might be looking to us and to our communities of faith. Guide us to be your presence, your love, your mercy to those who are struggling. Amen.
