Psalm
123—This Psalm of David is a
prayer of God’s humble people for Him to show mercy and so foil the contempt of
the proud. There are many obstacles to ministry in this world. This earth is
fallen. Yet despite obstacles, the Lord has not left His church to ruin nor has
He turned His back on us. To the contrary, this psalm speaks of God’s control
of the universe, His church and His people.
This psalm is simply titled “A Song of Ascents.” It is another in the series of psalms sung by
pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem at feast time. These songs give us a pattern
of preparation to meet with God and His people.
“This Psalm (as
ye see) is but short, and therefore a very fit example to show the force of
prayer not to consist in many words, but in fervency of spirit. For great and
weighty matters may be comprised in a few words, if they proceed from the
spirit and the unspeakable groaning of the heart, especially when our necessity
is such as will not suffer any long prayer. Every prayer is long enough if it
be fervent and proceeds from a heart that understands the necessity of the
saints.” (Martin Luther)
Collect for Psalm 123: Lord, our creator and redeemer, we look to you for all that we need. Look with favor on us, your servants, and give us your grace; for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Sources:
Lift High the Cross copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
Collect for Psalm 123, For All the Saints, A Prayer Book For and By the Church, The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau, © 1996 Delhi, NY
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