Title: The Prayer of Those Who Seek Mercy
Contents
This poem in which the poet's hope for God is expressed sadly is a short poem by an unknown author. The title of this text is a song about going up to the temple, but if you look closely at the contents of the poem, you can see that the poet is deprived of the freedom to go up to the temple even if he wants to because he is a slave from afar. Instead, lift your eyes and look to God.
Although God's people are at the bottom of their lives and are busy adjusting to the circumstances of suffering, their faith does not weaken and their relationship with God is broken, but their faith grows and becomes stronger and more courageous. , experience a stronger relationship with God. So I look to God more.
I. The poet said to lift up our eyes and turn to the Lord (1)
“Lord in heaven, I lift up my eyes to you.”
The poet turned to the Lord in heaven for help. The reason he uses the clear title “Lord in heaven” is to convince the saints of God's power. It also proves that even when there is no hope on earth, the power of God is eternal. That God is still reaching out to our members to ask for help.
“I lift up my eyes to you” What does this mean? In humans, the eyes play a role of seeing. Since ancient times, the eyes have been called the windows of the mind, and the place the eyes are directed to is the same as the place the mind faces. As you wander around in a world full of tribulation and storms, you will come to a deep realization that the only place you can turn your eyes to is the throne of the Lord. In the world, there is no right answer, and it only adds to excessive exaggeration, hypocrisy, and confusion.
So, “I lift up my eyes to you” means that I want to live only with the help of God, without thinking of any other possibilities. It means to fix your gaze on God without looking at anything else. That's why Psalm 141:8 says, "Lord GOD, my eyes are on you, and in you I take refuge; do not leave my soul in need."
In our time today, there are many things that take our attention. There are many things that stimulate the lust of the eyes. Seeing with your eyes makes you sin. Every sin reigns over our minds through thought and sight. In times like these, we also pray, “I lift up my eyes to you,” and I hope that you will always grow up in your faith soundly before God.
Ⅱ. The poet asked to wait for God's mercy (2)
“As the eyes of a servant wait for the hand of their master, and the eye of a maidservant on the hand of their mother-in-law, so our eyes wait for the LORD our God, and wait for mercy on us.”
The “servant eye” refers to the eye that watches the master's small movements, the hand gestures that indicate his will, and watches the master to act according to his instructions. Our destiny is at the fingertips of God. We are flying today because of God's merciful grace. So the poet waits for God's mercy. In the Psalms, the eyes that point toward the hand of God are those that wait patiently for God and not anything else. These eyes are the eyes of obedience that will obey any command of God. Obey God's commands and become servants who look to God in order to accomplish God's will. The servant of the world is miserable, but the servant of the Lord has the glory according to his office and qualifications.
Ⅲ. The poet said that contempt abounds (3, 4)
“Have mercy on us, O LORD, be merciful to us, for our bitter contempt abounds over us.
There is nothing worse than when the saints are despised and despised by evil forces for no reason. That is why the poet lamented as if the tribulation had reached its peak. In fact, little mercy and compassion can be found in humans. This is because, despite their outward acts of kindness, there are often cruel conspiracies lurking behind them. It is comforting to know that Jehovah is merciful in this world. We who are convinced of God's love will always find grace under His mercy. Through prayer, the saints become more holy. All the filthy things in our minds come out and we become pure. At this time, the saints can be freed from slavery and become free men, and they can end their lives beautifully as slaves who depend on God.
The lives of saints are often, but not necessarily, the happy endings of this world. Because the visible world is not everything. God can also lead us to eternal heaven by completely freeing us from the difficulties of this world. So, God can make us live longer in this world, or He can take us to heaven so that we can enjoy eternal rest. So, the song going up to this temple can be the song going up to the rebuilt temple, or it can be the song going straight from the captivity to the kingdom of glory. Which condition do you think is more blessed?
“Severe contempt abounds over us.” Literally, it means, “Because we are too full of contempt.” Having been exposed to severe trials according to the measure of their faith, they repeatedly appeal to God for mercy, as they have now reached the limit of their patience.
Verse 4 says, “The scorn of the peaceful and the contempt of the proud abounds in our hearts.” The literal meaning of “peaceful one” is “the rich one,” that is, the rich. Because they live apart from God's law and religious life, they enjoy temporary worldly peace along with their physical pleasures. But this can never be true peace. For true and everlasting peace comes only from God.
“The arrogant” refers to those who ignore the rights of the weak and powerless within the social community and, ultimately, even the authority of God. It is common in the world for those with power to look down upon God's people with contempt. There is no need, therefore, to be shaken and weakened by their ridicule and contempt. They depend on the world and appear to be powerful in this world, but we are the happiest people who long for eternity and live in hope of heavenly things. The world's scorn does not stop, but we must look to God and use this as an opportunity to grow our faith and have the heart to pray, “Have mercy on me.”
Saints! Don't be discouraged even in the midst of hardship, but let's look to God in heaven. Don't be discouraged even in a desperate situation where you can't ask for help from anyone, but let's ask for God's mercy. Despite the unbearable contempt, scorn, and personal insults, let's not lose hope and pray to God. God responds to our moans. God does not ignore our prayers, but responds to them