Going Higher With the LORD

Going Higher With the LORD Psalm 123.1 I lift up my eyes to You, to You who sit enthroned in heaven. 2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till He shows us His mercy. As we follow the LORD there is an inner desire to grow closer to Him, become more like Him, depend on Him more. Our faith in the LORD grows and it becomes stronger in Him. We come to realize that we can indeed trust Him for all our needs. In our walk with the LORD more and more we realize how utterly dependent upon Him we are... or we should be. Just once I would like to hear someone say to me, "Pastor, pray for me that I will be more thankful for the blessings I have. I am rich." Actually that will probably never happen. Think of the Church in Laodecia which like Israel got its eyes off the LORD and on His blessings and said, "I am increased with goods and have need of nothing." Uh Oh! Look at what Jesus said to that church. He rebuked them and called on them to repent. They needed healing in their eyes, spiritually.. so they would once again focus on Him. Psalm 123 speaks about this. 1. Looking to God. We are admonished to look to Jesus. Fixing our eyes upon Him. Hebrews 12.2 Psalm 25.15 Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for He shall pluck my feet out of the net Lift up= Up to God... We always look up when we look to Him. Away from the situations on earth To Him Who is seated on the throne of Heaven Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful Face And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace. How important it is when we're going through trials to fix our eyes upon the LORD. So many times we get our eyes upon people and we get in these interpersonal conflicts with people and we're watching to see what he's going to do next. Just waiting. Best to just get your eyes fixed on the Lord. And so he said, "As the servant watches his master's hand." Now the servant was constantly watching, especially at a dinner or whatever, when the guests were there, the servant the whole time would watch his master's hand. For the master would give certain signals with his hand, expecting the servant to pick up on those signals. It was the duty of the servant if things are getting out of order, if the wine is getting low or something, the master would just give a signal with his hand and the servant knew exactly what he was saying. And thus, the whole time the servant's eyes would be glued upon the master's hands waiting for a signal. Because if the master should signal and the servant is off someplace else and his mind someplace else, and he's not on his toes, then he's really in trouble. Constantly watching. And the same with the maidservants. Watching the mistress, watching the hand continually, because it was with the hand that they gave their beckons, their signals. Not wanting to speak to the servants or directions were given to them by hand movements. And so, "Even as a servant keeps his eye on his master's hand, LORD, I'm going to keep my eyes glued on You." That's a good policy. Just keep your eyes glued on the LORD. I lift up my eyes to You.. Where He is 2. Looking Up Shows Our Position and His Position. He is high and lifted up. Isaiah 57.15 God is high and lifted up. He lives forever. His name is holy. He says, “I live in a high and holy place..." Isaiah 6.1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the LORD, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Revelation 4.1-2 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. We are on earth. We are His servants. Servants look to the hands of their masters. For signals. The regard here had to God. The psalmist himself lifted up his eyes to Him. "The eyes of a good man are ever on the LORD. " (Psalm 25.15) In every prayer we lift up our soul, the eye of our soul, to God, especially in trouble. The eyes of the body of a believer are heaven-ward. Our eyes wait on the Lord, the eye of desire and prayer, and the eye of dependence, hope, and expectation, the longing eye. Our eyes must wait upon God as the LORD, and our God, until that He have mercy upon us. We desire mercy from him, we hope He will show us mercy, and we will continue our attendance on him till the mercy come. This is illustrated (v. 2) by a parallel: Our eyes are to God as the eyes of a servant, and handmaid, to the hand of their master and mistress. The eyes of a servant of God are to be looking to the Master. We are looking up from the earth to heaven. We are looking to His Hand. What do we know from His Word and our experience about the Hand of God? We are looking to His Hand 1. To His master's directing hand, expecting that He will appoint him his work, and cut it out for him, and show him how he must do it. LORD what will you have me to do? Here am I send me. (Isaiah 6.8-9)LORD, I am your servant, use me however You desire. Doctor from Spain to Yelssy... grew up in Peru together... now I am making lots of money. "I need to do missions trips!" It may not be a missions trip but what if we all said to the LORD today and every day from here on, "LORD, I am Your servant. What would you have me do?" 2.To his supplying hand. Servants look to their master, or their mistress, for their portion of food. Proverbs 31:15. And to God must we look for daily bread, for grace sufficient; from Him we must receive it thankfully. He will supply all we need for His work as well! 3.To His helping hand. If the servant cannot do his work himself, where must he look for help but to his master? And in the strength of the Lord God we must go forth and go on. Psalm 121.2 Our Help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 4.To his protecting hand. We pray for this often. If the servant meets with opposition in his work, if he be questioned for what he does, if he be wronged and injured, who should bear him out and right him, but his master that set him on work? The people of God, when they are persecuted, may appeal to their Master, We are Yours; save us. The Psalms are full of these appeals. 5.To His correcting hand. Hebrews 12.7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? To whom should they make supplication but to their Judge? They submit themselves to and humble themselves under God's mighty hand. Hebrews 12.9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 6. To His Healing Hand The Early Church's Prayer: Acts 4.30 Stretch out Your Hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the Name of Your holy servant Jesus. 7. To His rewarding hand. The servant expects his wages, his well-done, from his master. Hypocrites have their eye to the world's hand; thence they have their reward (Mt. 6:2); but true Christians have their eye to God as their Rewarder. Hebrews 11.6 ...He rewards those who diligently seek Him. The Hand of Our Master, Our LORD is good, very good. In His Hand... From His Hand... From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.- John 1.16 3. He Is Our Only Hope He will show us mercy. He will come to help us. He will be with us. He will take us to be with Him. He is preparing a place for us!