"WHEN YOU ARE THREATENED ON THE JOURNEY"
Psalm 123
June 15, 2008
SERIES: "SONGS FOR THE JOURNEY"
A phrase I have often heard a favorite preacher of mine say is, "When you don't like the outlook, try the uplook." This is what verse 1 of today's Psalm of Ascents says: "I lift up my eyes to you." We don't even see the problem the Psalm refers to until verse 4. Has any nation suffered like the nation of Israel, even up to this present moment? But Christians suffer today as well. As I've said before, more Christians lost their lives in persecution in the 20th Century than in all the first 19 centuries combined. And it continues.
This Psalm is considered by most scholars to be a post-exilic Psalm, that is, it was written following the nation�s return from Babylon in 537 B.C. The first wave of returning Israelites numbered about 50,000. They were trying to rebuild their city, their temple, and their lives. And the surrounding nations did not want them back.
How about you? Where do you turn for help when you are threatened? This Psalm gives us three answers.
LOOK TO GOD'S HEAVEN (ACKNOWLEDGE HIS SOVEREIGNTY). (v.1)
God is higher. He is the transcendent Ruler of all. Remember Isaiah's vision of the Lord when he went to temple and had his life-changing experience? This is how it began. "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple." (Isaiah 6:1, New International Version). God is the Creature, we are the creatures. He is the Master, we are the servants. He is the Father, we are the children. Whenever we see our foes, our troubles, our threats, we get discouraged and afraid. We need to regularly see the God who reigns. We do this with the eyes of faith. David wrote: "My eyes are always on the Lord, for he will pull my feet out of the net." (Psalm 25:15, Holman Christian Standard Bible). We can trust him, we can turn our fears and uncertainties over to him. The term "throne" is found often in the Psalms. And remember, for us, it's a throne of grace. The verb here is in the perfect tense. The Psalmist is praying constantly. His prayer goes up until the mercy comes down. We need to learn to pray in faith, expecting God to act. Like Jacob, we need to hang on to him and not let go until he blesses us.
Keep your eyes on the Sovereign God. Remember the movie, Apollo 13, based on the true incident of the NASA flight to the moon that almost did not make it home because of a mechanical failure? On day six of the ill-fated mission, the astronauts needed to make a critical course correction. If they failed, they might never return to earth. To conserve power, they shut down the onboard computer that steered the craft. Yet the astronauts needed to conduct a 30-second burn of the main engines. How would they steer? Astronaut Jim Lovell determined that if they could keep a fixed point in space in view through their tiny window, they could steer the craft manually. That focal point turned out to be their destination, the planet earth. And as shown in the hit 1995 movie, for 39 agonizing seconds, Lovell focused on keeping the earth in view. By not losing sight of that reference point, the three astronauts avoided disaster.
Our focused reference point is the Sovereign God, and more specifically, his Son, Jesus Christ. This is true when we first are saved.
Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. (Isaiah 45:22, New Living Translation)
It's also true on our ongoing walk with the Lord.
Let us ,,, run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2, Holman Christian Standard Bible)
And when we end our journey? John writes:
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2, Today's NIV)
Look to God's heaven and to his throne. He is sovereign and aware and will watch over us. Secondly:
LOOK TO GOD'S HAND (ADMIT HIS SUFFICIENCY). (v.2)
God has resources to meet any need. Paul reminds us of this in Philippians 4:19: And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Holman Christian Standard Bible) The Psalmist cries for mercy. He does not have it yet, but he expects God to deliver. In the east, masters used simple hand signals to convey to their servants what their wishes were. That is what he is referring to here. He is fixing his eyes on God's hand and waiting for a gesture, a move of the finger, a nod - any indication of how the master will respond. Watching God's "hand" will give us direction from the throne. God's hand will also give provision for us. And it will offer protection as well. God's hand never fails. His hand is even in control of kings and other world rulers. This is what Proverbs 21:1 says:
The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. (New International Version)
God's remnant need not fear even the nations. We can look to God's hand and know his sufficiency for all our needs. So look to God's heaven (recognizing his sovereignty) and look to God's hand (relying on his sufficiency) Finally:
LOOK FOR GOD'S HELP (ACCEPT HIS GENEROSITY). (v.3-4)
The Psalmist repeats the request for emphasis: "Have mercy on us, Lord; have mercy on us." This shows the urgency of the need, and to suggest that he will stay before the throne until he gets an answer. God is pleased with this tenacity in prayer. This is exactly what Jesus taught in Luke 11.
Then Jesus said to them, "Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' And suppose the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity, he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; those who seek find; and to those who knock, the door will be opened.
Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the holy spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:5-13, Today's NIV)
There is adequate mercy for a heart of pain. The writer says, literally, "I am fed up with the scorn and ridicule!" He has been hounded by contemptuous people, so he casts himself before the Lord, who alone can lift the oppression. Look again at the end of verse 3: "for we have endured no end of contempt." But this is what the Bible says about us - and it is badge of honor, because we follow the example of our Lord, who said, "If they hated me, they will hate you also."
God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things � and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are. (1 Corinthians 1:28, Today's NIV)
He was despised and rejected - a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care. (Isaiah 53:3, New Living Translation)
Warren Wiersbe reminds us: "If you find yourself laughed at and criticized because you belong to Jesus Christ, you are part of a very elite group, and you do not have to be embarrassed or start looking for a place to hide. There is grace available at the throne of grace from the God of all grace. So lift your eyes of faith to him."
Let God's words of strength drown out the enemy's words of scorn. Now let me say just a few more things to sum up.
First, DON'T TAKE MATTERS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS. We've seen this already in these Psalms of Ascent, but it's hard to practice. We need to believe that God will use adversity to make us more dependent in prayer.
Second, Remember that GOD IS THE SOURCE OF MERCY. When we need mercy for any need, he is the only one we can really go to. Even when it seems, for the moment, that God is not present and mercy is not near, we can trust him. I love the words of Charles Spurgeon, which were paraphrased into lyrics for a recent Christian song:
When you don't understand, when you don't know his plan, when you can't see his hand - trust his heart.
Third, BELIEVE THAT GOD CAN AND WILL ACT, and that we are to keep on praying until he does.
Finally, if you are ease in your life at this particular time, PRAY FOR THE FAITHFUL AROUND THE WORLD who still suffer contempt and persecution right up to this very moment.
God is in control. He can give you what you need for the day, and he enjoys giving to those who trust and glorify him. Again, I close with the words of Isaac Watts, who put this Psalm into hymn form.
O thou, whose grace and justice reign, enthroned above the skies,
To thee our hearts would tell their pain, to thee we lift our eyes.
As servants watch their master's hand and fear the angry stroke,
Or maids before their mistress stand, and wait a peaceful look.
So for our sins we justly feel thy discipline, O God;
Yet wait the gracious moment still, till thou remove thy rod.
Those that in wealth and pleasure live our daily groans deride;
And thy delays of mercy give fresh courage to their pride.
Our foes insult us, but our hope in thy compassion lies;
This thought shall bear our spirits up, that God will not despise.
Let's pray.