JUNE 23
Psalm 123:2, “so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us.”
My dog Muki has a remarkable way of getting what she wants. Whether she’s hoping for a walk, waiting for her meal, or yearning for a treat, she fixes her Lab puppy eyes on me—full of devotion and expectation. And eventually, I give in. She doesn’t look at anyone else like that, because she knows I’m the one who can meet her needs. She doesn’t give up easily. Her gaze is unwavering—intense, focused, and persistent—for as long as it takes.
In a similar way, and as a servant would look to the hand of its master (Psalm 123:2), the exiled Jews fixed their eyes on God, looking to Him for mercy. They had endured enough contempt from their oppressors. Their souls were weary—“more than enough” of the scorn from those who lived at ease (Psalm 123:4). So, they lifted their eyes to the Lord. Twice the psalmist pleads, “Have mercy upon us” (Psalm 123:3).
This psalm became a song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem, echoing their deep longing for God’s intervention. As they journeyed back to the holy city for the feasts, they sang this prayer again—lifting their eyes to the only One who could truly help.
Just as Muki looks only to me, and just as the exiled Jews looked solely to God, we too are called to fix our eyes on the Lord alone for mercy. In a world full of distractions, self-reliance, and misplaced hopes, it’s easy to turn elsewhere for comfort or solutions. But true mercy—healing, forgiveness, restoration, and peace—comes from God alone. When we wait on Him with trust and expectation, His mercy can heal our hearts, lift our burdens, and breathe new life into our weary souls. It is His mercy that meets us in our weakness, carries us through trials, and assures us of God’s steadfast love.
God invites us to look to Him: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). He sits on a throne of grace from which He freely bestows mercy and grace to help in time of need. Let us readily go there in prayer.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”—Lamentations 3:22-23
APPLICATION QUESTIONS: Where in your life are you tempted to seek relief or answers apart from God, rather than fixing your eyes on Him for mercy? How might your daily outlook or decisions change if you truly believed God’s mercies are “new every morning?”
LookingtoJesus 